Nick Saban shares a laugh with fan who asked if any defensive back that reminds him of himself as college player

From 1970-72, Nick Saban played defensive back at Kent State alongside stars such as Jack Lambert. At the same time, Bear Bryant was taking Alabama to two conference titles in 1971 and 1972 as part of his legendary career as the head coach.

Now, Saban’s the one taking the Crimson Tide to new heights — and still works closely with the defensive backs. However, he doesn’t necessarily think any player reminds him of himself back in the day because of the difference in talent.

That’s doesn’t mean Saban thinks he was better than the players he coaches now, though.

“First of all, I wasn’t good enough to play at Alabama, aight?” Saban said during “Hey Coach and the Nick Saban Show” on Thursday. “And if there’s anybody on our team that reminds me of me, I hope they don’t get to play because we might be in trouble.”

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Nick Saban: Football was ‘such a different game’ when he played

When Saban played football, the I formation was an integral part of most offenses in the country. That’s not the case as much anymore as coaches draw up more creative play designs and wide receivers become more integral parts of high-powered offenses.

In fact, when Tennessee lined up in the I last week, Saban said it caught his Alabama players by surprise.

“It was such a different game then,” Saban said. “I mean, for some of you folks that have played football 20, 25, 30 years ago, it was I formation, there were two wideouts in the game, it was ‘wad ball.’ Everybody was running lead draw and power and sweeps. Tennessee got in what looked like an I formation last week on the goal line, and our players actually did not know what to do. They had never seen it. Never seen it. The game has just changed so much.

“The game now is spread out, and if you notice last week’s game, their receivers are like two yards from the boundary. And 35 yards away is actually the ball and the center and the rest of the formation. You’ve got to put people out there to guard those guys. You’ve got a lot of people covering lots of grass, but right here’s where the ball’s getting run and they’re all out there. Anyway, the game has just changed dramatically and I think for the good.”

Saban: Teams with good quarterbacks have strong chances of success in today’s game

With so much emphasis on the passing game, football has — largely — become more entertaining for fans. Saban has integrated that into his own offense as the game changes, and it helped Bryce Young become the first Alabama quarterback to ever win the Heisman Trophy last year.

It’s a stark contrast from Saban’s days coaching in the NFL.

“I remember when I was in the NFL with [Bill] Belichick in, like, the early ’90s, I think it was 43% of the plays were passes,” Saban said. “Now, it’s like 63% of the plays in the NFL are passes.

“The game has just changed so dramatically, so much more quarterback-oriented and I think that’s why the teams that have a good quarterback have a real chance to have success.”