MOBILE, Ala. — Nick Saban spoke to the media Wednesday as watched his former players prepare for Saturday's Senior Bowl in Mobile. The Alabama head coach discussed a variety of topics including Freddie Roach, Jalen Hurts, and Burton Burns. Here's everything Saban said.

"My only comment is we’re glad to be here. It’s always great to come back to Mobile for the Senior Bowl. It’s such a tradition, and I think this community really embraces this game. It’s really good for the players to have the opportunity to showcase their talent. Any player from any place, but it’s especially good to see our players be able to do it — and Jalen, who I still consider one of our players — in front of a lot of people who represent NFL teams who are going to make decisions about their future. Always good to be here to support our players."

"Well, I think that I’ve always said if you’re a first-round draft pick, you ought to go out for the draft. If you’re not, you ought to come back and try to create value for yourself by how you play so that you have a lot more security, a lot better future, a lot more guaranteed money from a business standpoint. I think most of our guys have made a good decision that way, but I think in Anfernee (Jennings) and Terrell’s (Lewis) case both, they certainly did themselves a lot of good by coming back. I think most of our players who have come back have been able to do that."

"I think you’ve got to ask him that. Look, I get it. Players make those choices and decisions, and that’s their prerogative to do that. We’re supportive of what they do, but I think you need to ask him that question."

"Absolutely. Raekwon (Davis) called me on Saturday and said ‘I’m still a little bit injured. My ankle’s still bothering me a little bit.’ I said, ‘Look, it’s a simple decision. If you can go create value for yourself because you’re healthy, you need to go play because it’s a great opportunity for you. If you don’t feel like you can do that, don’t play to make sure you let them know so they can get somebody else.’ He made that decision based on his injury status, but I always encourage guys to play in this game."

"You know, when we get ready to release something on Freddie Roach, we’ll do it. There’s always some internal things that have to happen when you hire someone. Freddie’s an Alabama guy, and we’d love to have him be a part of our program and hopefully, all those things will work out favorably for us."

"Well, there’s a lot of guys playing in the NFL now that are having a lot of success that are similar-style players to Jalen. Guys that can make plays with their feet, I think you know who they are. So I think that success of those players has kind of broken the stereotype of you got to be a drop-back passer or this is the only way you can win in the NFL. You know, you see (Patrick) Mahomes, the guy at Baltimore, all these guys are athletic guys who can make plays with their feet, create a lot of problems for the old stereotype NFL defense."

"Oh Burton’s been with us from the very beginning, and he’s done a great job for us in so many ways. I think it’s pretty obvious all the players the he mentored that play in the NFL, I think every running back that ever started for us since we’ve been there. He’s been a great recruiter, great ambassador for the program. He came off the field because of injury situations to him — bad knee, bad hip. Spent two years pretty much trying to get healthy, and now he had an opportunity to go back onto the field, and he loves coaching, he’s doing it, and we’re happy for him."

“It’s all based on how guys get ranked and rated from NFL teams. I give the players the information, and where he was slotted relative to all the other players who are coming out this year who are available — it’s a very heavy year for running backs. He made the decision that he wanted to come back, and we’re happy to have him back.”

"Well, Tua’s got a great spirit about him, he’s very well-liked by his teammates. He’s got really good leadership qualities, and I think everybody likes the fact that he’s very talented at his position and makes a lot of plays. He’s going to represent any organization in a first-class way. He’s just a great player and a great person."

“I met with them a couple of times, and everybody seems to be doing really, really well. I always meet with all the players when they get back to school, after the season, and I meet with them after spring practice. I couldn’t really go over what those guys need to improve on, but I just wanted to make sure they were comfortable and at home. Nobody was having issues, and everyone seems to be doing really well, and we’re kind of impressed with the group.”

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