Nick Saban recalls story of Julio Jones returning to Alabama from NFL, lecturing Tide receiver

The powerhouse Nick Saban has built at Alabama has spanned the course of 15 successful seasons. It has seen plenty of high level talent and talent that has built their culture. That’s the foundation on which Saban has built the Crimson Tide’s last decade and a half upon.

Nick Saban talked about the culture that his former players built during his radio show Thursday night. He says he is trying to get his team to understand how much Alabama’s success means to their alumni.

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“The players that played before you, no matter when they played, they have an expectation because they created a standard. A standard of excellence, whether it was the effort that they played with, the character, the competitive nature,” said Saban. “No matter what, there’s an expectation for how you’re supposed to represent this institution. But also how you’re supposed to represent them.”

His prime example was a story involving former Crimson Tide receiver and now seven-time Pro Bowler Julio Jones. He remembered a moment where Jones was back in Tuscaloosa and corrected some of the behavior from that season’s roster.

“Three of four years ago, Julio Jones was here in the summer and he was doing rehab…Our players were out there in the summer workout program and they do seven-on-seven and have to do it on their own,” Saban said. “I don’t know if one of the receivers dropped the ball, kicked the ball, cussed the quarterback, cussed the defensive back that was holding. But Julio just called him over and Julio hadn’t played here for 10 years. And he said that ain’t the way we do it here.”

That story speaks volumes on what has been built down at Alabama. Each team isn’t just tasked with winning a national title. They’re also tasked with leaving the program in a better place than they found it in. As Nick Saban remembers that moment, he says it all revolves around the expectation’s from the Tide’s former players like Jones.

“That’s the greatest example (of) the culture that was established by these players through the tradition and a history of Alabama football. And what their expectation is when they come back and see it. That’s why I try to get players to understand the importance of the culture and what it means to so many people.”