Alabama RB Trey Sanders on Nick Saban: 'He gave me hope'

Alabama running back Trey Sanders has seen a lot of ups and downs during his college career.

Those are his words, not mine — and they’re accurate. The former five-star prospect out of IMG Academy had high hopes for himself when he arrived in Tuscaloosa back in 2019. In fact, he even went as far as to predict that he’d take home the Heisman Trophy in his freshman season.

Unfortunately, a foot injury ended his season — and any hopes of him turning that prediction into a reality — prematurely.

Then in early November of his sophomore year, Sanders was involved in a terrible car accident that resulted in him needing to be flown to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. It was a scary situation at the time, and the now 6-foot, 214-pound senior has been on a long road to recovery ever since.

This past season, Sanders was finally able to get back on the field.

No, he wasn’t ever 100% healthy, but he was healthy enough to play.

By the end of the season, Sanders ranked second on the team in carries (72), rushing yards (314) and rushing touchdowns (2). Of course, some of that was due to Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams sustaining injuries of their own, but Sanders did everything he could to help his team.

Today, he’s a man who knows how to overcome adversity.

“It’s been a lot of ups and downs, but I say these past couple of years, it really helped me,” Sanders told reporters on Tuesday. “Helped me a lot because were it not for what happened the past couple of years, I wouldn’t be the man standing in front of you today.

“So, I feel like that has helped me a lot. Going through that adversity, coming back and seeing what I was capable of myself — mentally and physically. So I feel like at this point right now, I’m a lot more ready now than I was my freshman year.”

A lot of people don’t fully realize how difficult this journey back to the field has been for Sanders. Sure, there have been moments where he felt like his old self, but other days have served as a painful reminder of the car accident that once left him in a wheelchair temporarily.

“It was moments where I felt like that [back to his former self] of course because like, it was only a year after my wreck,” Sanders said. “So I felt like as soon as I made one play or I scored a touchdown, I felt like I was automatically back. But that wasn’t always the case. It’s always just a step forward. So I have a touchdown or I make a good play, I come back to practice and I may not be able to make moves how I was last week because my body’s sore.

“So, it’s just steps every day and getting better. That’s my main focus right now.”

One thing Sanders has learned about himself during this process is what he wants to do when he’s done playing the game of football. In fact, it’s the same thing he’s always aspired to do on the field, which is to inspire people.

“You appreciate everything a whole lot more,” Sanders said after being asked how his accident changed how he viewed playing the game. “I’ll say that since I’ve been going through this process of not playing football. I’ve actually learned a lot about myself outside of football and what else I want to do one day after I’m done playing the game. And hopefully, when I’m done playing football, I’m able to do the same thing I was when I was playing the game — inspire people.

“That’s the main outlook I’ve been having these last couple of years.”

And if there’s one person who’s been instrumental in keeping Sanders focused and motivated, it’s been Nick Saban.

“I think Coach Saban was one of the main persons who kept me going throughout the process because there was times where I felt like I couldn’t do it,” Sanders revealed. “There were times where I was in a wheelchair and I was just rolling around the facility, going out to practice and watching other dudes practice and stuff like that. I wasn’t able to go out there and practice, and Coach Saban would call me into meetings and he’d talk to me and he’d give me hope on the future.

“Each time he talked to me, he gave me hope and he just gave me a better outlook on how I want to come out of my injury and come out of my car wreck. I felt like having someone on my side, that’s helped me a lot, most definitely. That was the main part, he’s played a big part in it.”

What a journey.