Nick Saban uses Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden to make point on current state of college football

Nick Saban can’t help but wonder how Bear Bryant and Bobby Bowden would feel about how much college football has changed in the past few years. The introduction of NIL and the transfer portal have had a seismic impact on college sports as a whole, and while it’s mostly regarded as a positive, there’s still a lot to work out.

Speaking at the 2024 Nick Saban Legacy Awards, at which Bowden was honored, Saban used the two legendary coaches as an example of why change is needed. He also pledged to work with leaders such as SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne to develop a plan to create guidelines regarding the new rules.

“If coach Bryant or coach Bowden could all of a sudden be with us tonight, what would they think of college football right now?” the recently retired Alabama coach said. “That should be the very reason that we’re all very much committed to what we can do to make college football something where players can have a great quality of life, but we still have a venue where they have an opportunity to grow and learn and be successful.

“I would like to be a part of trying to help people that are working hard to make that happen like Greg Sankey. Like Greg Byrne. Like our conference commissioners are trying to do. That’s really, really important for young people, and it’s something that we’re very much committed to.”

In his closing comments tonight, retired @AlabamaFTBL coach Nick Saban shares his views on the current state of college football and pledges to work with leaders like @GregSankey and @Greg_Byrne to make certain the sport has a healthy future. pic.twitter.com/5z38U1WjyM

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) February 20, 2024

It’s hard to say exactly what Bryant or Bowden would think of the current era of college football, but one could guess they wouldn’t be a fan. Bowden retired from coaching in 2009, while Bryant coached his final game in 1983.

Many current veteran coaches have been outspoken about the changes, calling for national legislation on NIL laws to create a fair playing field. Some have suggested a salary cap on the amount a team can spend on NIL, akin to what professional sports leagues have.

The focus for Saban and many other leaders in college sports is to create rules that enable competitive balance without taking away opportunities for players. There’s certainly nothing wrong with athletes being able to capitalize on their name, image and likeness, but there has to be a better system than the current one.

Now that he’s retired, Nick Saban can be a part of ushering in that change in a way that would make legends such as Bear Bryant and Bobby Bowden proud.