Mike Leach breaks down what makes Nick Saban special

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach does not come from the Nick Saban coaching tree like many of his SEC counterparts, but he has known Alabama’s head coach for a while and has no shortage of respect for the legend. 

Ahead of a matchup with the Crimson Tide on Saturday, Leach spoke with the media about the facets of Saban that have him firmly cemented as the best coach in college football right now and probably ever.

“I’ve thought he evaluates really well because he’s in a position where he can get pretty much anybody, but I think he evaluates as far as which ones to take very well,” Leach said on Monday.

Saban always has the Crimson Tide near the top of the recruiting rankings, and the players he selects tend to pan out. The 2017 class, which helped win last year’s national championship, was discussed as one of the best recruiting classes ever. Of the 25 commitments Saban had in that class, eight of them became first round NFL Draft picks.

“And then the other thing is he’s not afraid to tell somebody no or push somebody hard,” Leach added. “Occasionally somebody will get some five-star parade All-American, and he’s afraid to coach him. Coach Saban’s not afraid to coach that guy and push that guy. So I’ve always thought the strongest things he did was evaluate and push guys.”

Videos from practices with Saban certainly show the experience is not a walk in the park; the head coach is very tough on his team, especially when he deems their performance unacceptable. Despite the known challenges, of course, there is still a line out the door to play for him.

Bulldogs preparing for a monumental task in Tuscaloosa

Alabama has not lost back-to-back regular season games since Saban’s first year in Tuscaloosa in 2007, so the odds are not in Leach’s team’s favor when the Crimson Tide visit Starkville this weekend. 

Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M last weekend and close call against Florida earlier this season were against two teams that tend to have better run game stars than pass game stars, although Aggies quarterback Zach Calzada was excellent on Saturday. 

In Mississippi State, Alabama will get an entirely different opponent. Leach runs the vaunted pass-heavy Air Raid offense, and it shows. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in passing yards per game at 372.4, but they are last in rushing yards per game, averaging just 56.2 per contest. 

Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers is tied for the most pass attempts in the country this season, and boasts a second-best completion percentage of 75.7%.

Alabama’s secondary has improved the passing yardage they’re allowing this season (195.2 yards compared to 239.2 last year), but their second half performance against Florida and a terrible performance against the Aggies show they certainly are not perfect.

Leach is trying to keep his team focused, attempting to eliminate distractions. One of the most imaginative minds in college football already provided a few hilarious examples of things that could lead his players to lose focus.

Alabama is a 17-point favorite in the game which will be ESPN’s primetime contest on Saturday, kicking off at 6:00 p.m. CT.