Nick Saban goes in on building depth in the transfer portal era of college football

Alabama head coach Nick Saban has never been one to shy away from his position when it comes to the NCAA transfer portal. But Saban understands that it is a part of college football now and in the future. So, he has been developing his process of using the portal to his advantage. And recently, he went in-depth on his method of building a team using the transfer portal. And Saban also highlighted how it benefits him right now while preparing for the Sugar Bowl.

“Look, players leave. You have the opportunity to recruit other players,” said Saban. “So, you have two sources of getting players. You can get players out of the portal if you find somebody that you think is going to be a positive addition to your team, or you can recruit young players that you think are going to develop and be a positive addition to your team. You can’t replace anybody now. So you just gotta play with what you got. And there’s quite a few teams that are playing in bowl games that have a significant number of guys that have gotten in the portal.”

When it comes time for the Crimson Tide to kick off in the Sugar Bowl against the Kansas State Wildcats, Alabama will be short a few players who have already jumped into the portal. However, it is unlikely that Saban and his squad will have to deal with many if any, bowl game opt-outs. That at least gives the Alabama head coach peace of mind when developing his bowl game plan. Still, individuals unhappy with their career trajectory under his guidance could opt-out and enter the transfer portal. But Saban is not letting that affect him.

“We’re working hard to help these guys that are here with us to develop a future and create value for their future, regardless of what their circumstance is. The portal is the portal. So you can’t get somebody out of the portal and come and play in this game. So how do you create depth out of the portal right now? You can’t do it. You do it later, and you can replace whoever leaves. So that’s the numbers you have to work with, and you got to make good choices and decisions about who you’re recruiting and how they’re going to fit on the team.”

Saban reveals his conversations with Bryce Young, Will Anderson and their decision to play in Sugar Bowl

In college football today, it’s becoming more and more common to see players elect to opt out of bowl games. Especially if their team is outside the College Football Playoff. But for the Crimson Tide and head coach Nick Saban, their top two players, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young and two-time All-American defensive end Will Anderson, have decided to play in the Sugar Bowl for the Crimson Tide against Kansas State, regardless of their impending draft decisions.

During a recent press conference, Saban revealed some insight into his conversations with Young and Anderson as they made their decisions to play in Sugar Bowl.

“It’s kind of interesting that people opt out of playing for their team. The way you create value for yourself is to play football,” said Saban. “That is the best way you can create value for your future. And when you do that against good competition, I think that creates value for the future. I hear guys all the time say; I’m going to get ready for the NFL. Well, what do you mean? You’re getting ready for the combine? A lot of the things you do at the combine are not even relevant to what you do on the football field.