Saban: Not picking Alabama to reach SEC title was 'counter rat poison'
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban did not predict the Crimson Tide to reach the SEC Championship Game game this season. Attending SEC Media Days as an ESPN analyst rather than a coach, Saban left out the football program he coached for the last 17 years.
“I really like Texas. I think Georgia has got a really good team,” Saban said Monday. “I believe in our Alabama team, too. I believe in Jalen Milroe. I just think the question marks in the secondary – until those get resolved – it’s hard to, sort of, jump on that bandwagon.”
It’s a new era at Alabama with Saban retiring and Kalen DeBoer taking over. The Tide returns key starters on both sides of the ball, and on special teams, but also has to replace contributors who left Tuscaloosa, whether via the NFL draft of the NCAA transfer portal.
Like Saban said, one of the biggest questions surrounding the 2024 Alabama football team is the secondary, which lost both starting cornerbacks, a freshman All-American safety and other key pieces from last year’s defense, including some set to step up in 2024.
The players who represented Alabama in Dallas were aware of Saban’s comments and didn’t fault their former coach for making them. But they did crack jokes Wednesday morning.
“He would get mad about me if I felt a way about what he said because he always used to say, ‘Don’t let some guy that lives in their mom’s basement determine how you feel,’” said offensive lineman Tyler Booker. “So I’m not gonna let a guy who plays golf all day determine how I feel.”
Appearing on SportsCenter to end Day 3 of SEC Media Days, Saban set the record straight.
“I got kind of criticized today by some of my former players that I didn’t pick them to be in the SEC Championship Game, but they need to understand that’s counter rat poison,” Saban said on Wednesday afternoon. “I never wanted to get picked first. I always wanted to be the underdog. This was counter rat poison. I hope they understand that.”
Many will pick Georgia and Texas to play for the SEC title in December at the end of the week in Dallas. Some sportsbooks do not even have Alabama with the third-shortest odds to reach the conference title game in Atlanta, giving the nod to Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin.
Did Saban agree?
“I beg to differ on this one,” Saban said. “I want to put Alabama up there someplace.
“The only question I have about Alabama’s team is they lost so much in the secondary is that’s going to be the real challenge for them from a technical standpoint – is can they get that fixed? Can they get good enough play at corner? Have enough depth in the secondary to be able to sustain the season? You give up too many big plays, that’s not good for your team’s chances of being successful.”
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