Did Nick Saban’s devotion cost Alabama a chance at a seventh national championship?

admin | January 3, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

It is never trendy to criticize greatness or to show how others may improve.

Since taking over as head coach of the University of Alabama football team in 2007, he has done nothing but improve it.

Nick Saban understands what it takes to win national titles. He has seven of them during the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and College Football Playoff (CFP) eras, with six of them coming at Alabama. Saban has nine SEC Championships with the Crimson Tide, the most recent coming in 2023.

The 72-year-old has several NFL players under his tutelage and has steered the team to another good recruiting class, but something appears to be lacking. Saban had a chance to win his seventh CFP National Championship in 2023 at Alabama, but the fantasy was dashed Monday in a 20-27 overtime Rose Bowl loss to Michigan.

Saban described this season as “one of the most incredible in Alabama history.”

The Tide battled through adversity, but Saban’s fundamental fault as a coach surfaced on a large stage. Throughout his career, he has been always devoted, especially to veteran players, yet his commitment has lost him championships.

The problem reoccurred during the Rose Bowl. Saban has always been one to make strategic moves, whether they are popular or not.

We’re talking about a head coach that benched Jalen Hurts in the second half of Tua Tagovailoa’s 2018 CFP National Championship Game versus Georgia (2017 season). Hurts had a 26-2 record as a starter, while Tagovailoa, a freshman at the time, had not played substantial snaps all season. Saban recognized that his team needed a spark and had the guts to go to Tagovailoa. Saban’s choice resulted in a “2nd and 26” miracle, with Tagovailoa connecting with DeVonta Smith for a game-winning, 41-yard touchdown pass in overtime, giving Alabama a 26-23 victory.

This is the same Saban that fired Lane Kiffin before the 2017 CFP National Championship Game in Tampa, Fla., against Clemson. Saban wanted Kiffin gone, so the two could have worked things out. Saban sacrificed himself a national championship, yet he was still gutsy enough to make a necessary change.

It’s the same Saban that benched Jalen Milroe against South Florida in week three of 2023 in favor of Tyler Buchner.

Saban did not make the wisest decision, especially given Buchner’s struggles, but he did not back down.

Saban even parted ways with Scott Cochran, who was the head strength coach and master motivator for numerous national championship teams during Saban’s tenure at Alabama.

He has no problem making unpopular decisions, so why did loyalty or fear prevent him from making a change that could have improved the Tide’s chances in the Rose Bowl?

Senior offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin is a standout student-athlete. He is a terrific young man who has three SEC Championship rings and helped Alabama win a CFP National Championship in 2020, but he battled with snapping the football all season.

McLaughlin had multiple botched snaps throughout the season, averaging roughly two to three per game.

Milroe covered several snaps by making plays out of thin air, but McLaughlin’s Rose Bowl gaffes were too much. He had a number of problems against the Wolverines, which offset the timing of Alabama’s offensive and defense systems. McLaughlin botched two snaps on a good drive, squandering a score potential. During the Crimson Tide’s overtime drive, he had a terrible snap on the final play of the game. Milroe would have had an opportunity to hit Jam Miller for a touchdown or run behind Jaeden Roberts for a score if the snap had been flawless. Instead, a botched snap caused Milroe to shift his focus from the field to the ball.

When he regained consciousness, he dashed to the center of the Michigan defense and was tackled.

Alabama had Darrian Dalcourt, Terrence Ferguson, and James Brockermeyer on the roster who might have taken McLaughlin’s place.

Saban observed his center laboring but made no changes. Loyalty is a desirable attribute, but if a person is not performing their duties, something needs to be changed. Saban’s failure in this regard cost him the Rose Bowl and a chance to participate in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. His decision to stick with McLaughlin backfired on him and the squad.Alabama must start over because Saban has gone three years without winning a national championship.

Milroe, JC Latham, Dallas Turner, Terrion Arnold, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Deontae Lawson, Jaeden Roberts, Kendrick Blackshire, and Tim Kennan III were all members of the 2021 recruiting class. Turner, an outside linebacker, will enter the NFL Draft without having won a national championship. Latham, Arnold, and McKinstry must all make a choice.

When the problems began early in the Rose Bowl, Saban had the opportunity to remove McLaughlin. His decision to confine him will haunt him for a long time.