Nick Saban evaluates Alabama coming out of Fall camp, what he's looking for in Week 1

During Fall Camp, a photo of Alabama head coach Nick Saban smiling after a press conference made the rounds. Something about that photo made it seem like he knew something that everyone else didn’t, despite some concerns at positions like quarterback.

During a Thursday morning appearance on Birmingham, Alabama-based radio station JOXFM, Saban explained that during preseason camp, what he’s looking for the most has been how players respond to being challenged.

“How are you going to respond when things get difficult?” Nick Saban said Thursday morning on McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning. “You have challenges. Are people going to be able to stick with it? And I think that’s always the ultimate test and you really can’t almost judge that until you go through it.”

Moving into Week 1, Nick Saban knows that his players are going to be challenged again. That challenge lasts throughout the season and is hard to judge until the season is well underway.

“But, can you persevere through the season?” Saban continued. “Can you stay focused every day and practice and go out and try to get something out of practice when everyone is trying to get through practice, and continue to prepare for games when you’re mentally tired? Are you motivated…or do you need somebody externally to motivate you?

“So, there’s all these factors that sort of make up a competitive character that are just so hard to judge, but I like what I see so far.”

Alabama starts its season against Middle Tennessee State on Saturday.

Nick Saban on the key to success

One of the most successful coaches ever, Nick Saban knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful. For him, it comes down to his process.

“I think everything I’ve talked about here today is something that can help you be successful in life. You have goals and aspirations for what you want to accomplish and do. And then, you’ve got to have an awareness of what does it take to do that? What does it entail for you to be able to accomplish these things? That’s what I call the process, the definition of what you have to do to accomplish the goals that you have. And are you willing to do it? Are you willing to do those things? Do you have the discipline to execute it every day? That would be true in anything that you chose to do. And then, there’s work ethic, perseverance, ability to overcome adversity, pride in performance,” Saban said.

“All these things are common things that we talk about athletics, but it’s the same thing if you wanted to be the president of the company. But again, what motivates you to do that? Is it coming from within you? Or did somebody tell you you couldn’t do it, so now, all of a sudden you’re motivated to do it? So it’s basically who you are. And I think everybody wants to do well. Everybody would like to be successful. Everybody’s not willing to do the things you need to do to be successful.”