Nick Saban, Alabama make history with Will Reichard selection in 2024 NFL Draft

Throughout his time as head coach at Alabama, Nick Saban helped send plenty of players to the NFL Draft. But after Will Reichard’s selection on Saturday, he made some history.

After the Minnesota Vikings drafted Reichard in the sixth round, it meant Saban has sent a player to the NFL from every position. That includes each specialist position of kicker, long-snapper and punter, according to BOL’s Clint Lamb.

Reichard was one of 10 Alabama players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, including “Mr. Irrelevant” Jaylen Key. The Crimson Tide saw three members of last year’s team go in the first round with JC Latham, Dallas Turner and Terrion Arnold going off the board on the first day of the draft.

Will Reichard getting drafted means that Nick Saban saw at least one of his Alabama players taken at every position, including all three specialists (K, P and LS).

Wild.

— Clint Lamb (@ClintRLamb) April 27, 2024

All told, during Saban’s 17 years at Alabama, he helped produce 133 draft prospects before his retirement. Now on the media side with College GameDay, he expressed his excitement for some of the most notable names to go off the board in this year’s draft.

Saban’s first go-round with GameDay drew rave reviews as he not only broke down film, but also fit in well with the crew of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit during ABC’s coverage and “humanized” himself. To On3’s Phillip Dukes, it was interesting to hear Saban’s perspective on not only players he coached, but also those he had to go against.

“Hey, man, I love Coach Saban. You know I’m an Auburn guy, but Coach Saban is good. And then that moment was so real to me, because they knew. And then all the when he talked about guys that he actually had the game plan against, like hearing him talk about the game plan for Jayden Daniels you just say and, ‘I was just looking up at the ceiling at night. He had me shook.’ Hearing Nick Saban kind of humanize himself, that was so cool to me,” Dukes told Andy Staples during an appearance on Andy Staples On3. “Because when you think about it, he’s probably on the Mount Olympus of coaching, period, not just college coaches.

“So you know, hearing him talk about what worried him, and what he saw in these players and the draftees, I thought that was awesome. Great pickup by ABC.”