Nick Saban opens up on his special relationship with the Stoops family

Nick Saban has a great appreciation for many of the different coaches around the college football landscape. As one of the oldest coaches in the game of college football today, as you’re probably well aware of, he’s got many different connections with many different football coaches across America. This weekend, he’ll face off against the Kentucky Wildcats and head coach Mark Stoops. On his Thursday evening edition of the Hey Coach & The Nick Saban Show, the legendary football coach took a moment to speak about his special relationship with the Stoops family.

“Number two is….the Stoops family. You know, Uncle Bob Stoops was a high school coach in Youngstown at Cardinal Mooney High School. He was the defensive coordinator and a dear friend of mine,” Saban began.

Mark Stoops also attended Cardinal Mooney High School.

“And Mark and all of the Stoops brothers that coach. Mike who coached here. Their dad was a defensive coordinator. And actually, had a heart attack and passed [away] on the sidelines during a game years ago, but was a dear friend,” Saban continued.

“And each one of these Stoops guys, I recruited when they were in high school. So, I have a special relationship with the family, Uncle Bob. Tremendous amount of respect for all they’ve done for college football and what a great job they’ve done coaching wherever they’ve been,” Saban said.

Nick Saban has given so much of his life to the game of football. It’s good to see him show an appreciation for other coaches and families across the country who have done the same over the years.

Mark Stoops has been the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats since November of 2012, but he began his college football coaching career all the way back in 1990, when he was a graduate assistant for the Iowa Hawkeyes. One of his brothers, Bob Stoops, led the Oklahoma Sooners to a national crown back in 2000. Another one of his brothers, Ron Jr., was an assistant coach for Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio.

Nick Saban shared his thoughts on kicker Will Reichard

Last week, Will Reichard did something he hasn’t done all year. He missed a field goal as two went wide during Alabama’s win over LSU — the first of which featured an announcer jinx from CBS’ Brad Nessler.

Since arriving in Tuscaloosa, Reichard has only missed 15 field goals out of 92 attempts. When that happens, he has to bounce back and make the proper adjustments.

That advice doesn’t come from Nick Saban, though.

“What I’ve learned through the years is most of these guys, they really don’t look to a coach,” Saban said Thursday on Hey Coach and The Nick Saban Show. “They kind of know. Will Reichard really knows when he hits it well. He missed them both just to the right, and his ball usually just hooks a little bit. Just a little bit. And neither one of them did, and he just missed both of them by probably that much. The first one he hit really good. The second one, not so good.”

On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.