Nick Saban reveals what's currently working well in college football

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban recently sat down with Fox’s college football analyst Joel Klatt for a conversation. The two addressed multiple issues and storylines throughout the college football landscape. However, during this interview, Klatt took a different approach. Instead of asking what was wrong, he wanted to see what the Alabama headman thought was working well in the sport right now.

“Well, I think the first thing is coaching is all about teaching. Teaching’s an ability to inspire learning,” said Saban. “But I think there’s a lot of mentorship that goes on in coaching that goes completely unnoticed. We’re really trying to create value for people’s futures by providing good leadership. Trying to set a good example for them. Be somebody that can emulate, (and) care enough to help them for their benefit so that they have a better chance to be successful in their life.”

Saban has made a name for himself in college football as one of the game’s great teachers. In just his time at Alabama alone, since 2007, Saban has had more than 120 players selected in the NFL draft.

Getting such a large number of players to make it to the next level takes a lot of time, effort, and patience. Something that Saban also highlighted in his conversation with Klatt.

“We put a lot and invest a lot into all that. Whether it’s personal development programs, academic support, (or) career development programs, as well as trying to help them develop careers as football players. So, I think a lot of that kind of goes unnoticed. But I think a lot of those things is what always made college football great. And it’s helped a lot of young people in any sport have a better chance to be more successful in life, which I always thought that’s why you went to college — to create value for your future.”

The issues surrounding college football have consistently been complex and anything but easy to deal with. While some coaches take issue with NIL and transfer portal movement, before the addition of these two entities, college players had very little control over their careers and could be penalized for benefiting from who they are as college student-athletes. The game will continue to evolve and adjust as needed. But arguably, one of the best parts of the game is likely to remain for the long run. And that is the level of dedication that coaches give to their players in order for them to be successful.