Nick Saban reveals motivational message to team after questionable start

Nick Saban isn’t letting a few missteps lead to a fall. During an appearance on the “Hey Coach & The Nick Saban Show” on Thursday, the Alabama head coach revealed his motivational message to his team after a tumultuous start.

“You’d like to think that everybody is motivated internally, that their standard of excellence comes from within,” Saban said. “But, in this day and age, a lot of the motivation comes externally, which is not really exactly how you’d like for it to be.

“People can direct those feelings because there’s a lot of criticism, a lot of people say a lot of things, players hear it. And does that affect their confidence? Or, do they direct their feelings in a positive way and that actually motivates them?”

The struggle

Alabama players faced no shortage of criticism through the first three weeks of their 2023 campaign. After a loss to Texas in Week 2 and sluggish win over South Florida, outsiders questioned whether this Alabama team had the potential to reach the College Football Playoff.

To make matters worse, the team struggled to find an on-field leader. After starting Jalen Milroe behind center in the first two games, Alabama benched the redshirt sophomore in Week 3. The change didn’t go according to plan.

Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner took the start against USF with high expectations. Nonetheless, he looked no better than Milroe. Buchner completed just five of his 14 pass attempts for 34 yards. He recorded no touchdowns. Saban didn’t idly sit by.

The 71-year-old coach replaced Buchner midway through the contest with redshirt freshman QB Ty Simpson. The former five-star prospect didn’t look much better, tallying a mere five completions for 73 yards. Consequently, Saban reinstated Milroe as the team’s starting QB moving forward.

Saban claims he used the story of Michael Jordan to motivate his Crimson Tide. As the famous story goes, Jordan was cut from the varsity team as sophomore in high school. The soon-to-be star didn’t give up. Instead, he battled his way onto the team the following season and the rest is history.

Nick Saban ready for the bounce back

Saban hopes to see his team follow a similar trajectory after a questionable start.

“I actually tell our players we have to direct our feelings in a positive way,” Saban said. “It can’t affect your confidence. It can’t affect what your focus is on, or what you need to do to be able to play well, to prepare well. That’s what we’re trying to get the player to do.”

Alabama will certainly need to play well to pick up a win this weekend. On Saturday, No. 13 Alabama will face off against No. 15 Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS.