New Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn 'almost passed out' when he met Nick Saban

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama introduced new head baseball coach, Rob Vaughn, on Tuesday in a press conference at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility. Vaughn, the head coach at Maryland the last six seasons, spoke to a crowd of his family, baseball staffers, supporters and reporters and did so confidently less than 24 hours after his hire was announced by the Crimson Tide.

He discussed the tradition of the Alabama program, first from a baseball standpoint, mentioning former head coaches Joe Sewell, Barry Shollenberger and Jim Wells, as well as Jason Jackson, who served as the Tide’s interim head coach to close the 2023 season and will stay on staff as associate head coach after being offered a 2-year contract, athletic director Greg Byrne said.

But he also highlighted some of the other head coaches on the Alabama campus, starting with a story of meeting head football coach Nick Saban that resulted in a chuckle from the audience.

“I look around at the other teams here, I look at the other coaching staffs here and see what they do,” Vaughn said. “Obviously – my wife laughs at me – I got to meet Coach Saban yesterday. I almost passed out in there. That was one of the more intimidating things I’ve ever been a part of, but what a special thing here. You have the best coach of all-time right down the street from us right here.”

Vaughn continued by lauding the Crimson Tide’s men’s basketball and softball head coaches.

“Watching Coach (Nate) Oats and what he’s developed on the basketball court and seeing how they’ve done that – shoot, from afar, we’ve followed from Maryland and we’ve watched those things and we’ve seen the way he’s developed that and how special of an organization he has,” Vaughn said. “Coach (Patrick) Murphy, elite-level softball coach. Good gracious, the best, if not one of the best softball coaches in the country.

“Why Alabama? You look at that and you see elite-level coaches. You see the ability to win. You see the ability for these young people to get drafted and be everything that they wanna be a part of. That’s why my family is here, that’s why we’re here and that’s why we’re so excited to be a part of this family.”

Vaughn preaches culture, development

Also during his introductory press conference, Vaughn shared what he wants Alabama baseball to be known for under his watch – culture and development. He detailed why they are crucial.

“It’s what we’re all about, it’s what I care about as a coach,” Vaughn said. “This sounds super cliche to everybody involved, but my goal is that this group of people that I get to coach, that we get to work alongside one day finish their time here and are equipped to be unbelievable dads one day, unbelievable husbands one day and unbelievable leaders. This isn’t popular, but I will tell everybody: this world doesn’t need another shortstop. Don’t worry, I will find good shortstops, and we will have those here, but this world’s gonna keep spinning without it.

“But what we desperately, desperately need is men and women that know how to lead, that lead their families, that are people of character, that know how to lead communities. That’s really what they need, and that’s what our program is gonna be built on, that’s what we’re gonna be all about. We’re gonna be about building those things.”

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