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Nick Saban spoke to the media on Wednesday during his visit to the Senior Bowl. Here is the transcript of his interview.
How are you, coach?
Saban: I’m doing well, I’m glad to be here again. It’s good to see some of our players out here, and I’m anxious to see how they do today. So we’re happy for them and hopefully, they’ll have an opportunity to enhance their draft status by how they perform.
How are Jonah Williams and Anfernee Jennings doing in their rehab?
Saban: Good, good. They’re not doing anything right now, but I think both guys are doing well.
Can you elaborate on some of your staff changes?
Saban: No, not really. I’ll elaborate on it when I’m ready to elaborate on it. That’s called a release. Is that alright with you?
Levi Wallace has gone from walk-on to star. What have you seen from him?
Saban: Levi is one of those guys that you have a soft, nice spot in your heart for because you love to see guys that are sort of an underdog kind of a position when they come in and they really work hard. Levi’s always been a good player, he was just small. He kind of grew a little bit. He got a little stronger, he got a little bigger, quit getting pushed around. Great technician, really a smart player very instinctive. He sure played great for us this year, and it’s great to see a guy like that who walked on, earned his way in everything that he did and then to get an opportunity to play in the Senior Bowl. That’s fantastic.
How much does it mean for this team to get Damien Harris back?
Saban: “We’re happy to have him back. I think that Damien wanted to finish his education. I think he likes college, he likes school. A lot of guys got it in their mind that they’re going to go out for the draft no matter what. I think you all know my philosophy on that. I think if you are a first round pick you should go. If you are not, you should stay in school and try to graduate. I think that’s getting tougher and tougher as more and more guys are making the decision to go out early. In at least 50 percent of those cases, it’s not a good decision and a lot of those guys don’t make a team.
"What people don’t understand and everybody should know is that professional football is the only sports league that doesn’t have a minor league system. Baseball has a minor league system. Aaron Judge is a pretty good baseball player, right? He spent a couple of years in the minor leagues developing. But you don’t do that in football, the only development you can do is in college. So where you enter the league is of the utmost importance. I just think that gets overlooked by a lot of players because it’s all or nothing. If they don’t make the team that’s it for them playing, they can’t go back to college and play. I think the road that we are going down the day is not always best for the players that are going out early.”
What has Mike Locksley provided the staff the past couple of years?
Saban: He’s been a great addition to our staff. He’s been a coordinator, he’s been a head coach. He’s great with the players, he’s a very good teacher, he’s a good recruiter, he’s got great knowledge of several offenses. Some of the stuff that we do are things he was able to implement and have knowledge of. So we excited about what he brings.
Is it a disadvantage to play during the early signing period?
Saban: Not really because the dead period now has been extended through all this… So it wasn’t like we were missing the recruiting time because we were practicing for the game. I think the exposure you get from a program standpoint and from a player standpoint obviously probably helps a little bit in recruiting, so we didn’t really lose any time.
I thought what was really difficult was with the early signing date trying to get ready to play games and trying to recruit at the same time. That was a little more difficult.
Can you comment on Brian Daboll and the year he had and also his opportunity with the Buffalo Bills?
Saban: Well Brian did a great job for us, we’re happy for him. He obviously ended up a lot better off for having come to our place being a coordinator for a year, doing a great job. Now he has the opportunity to be a coordinator in the NFL. We’re happy for him and his family.
Is there a chance you would look to add Hugh Freeze in some capacity?
Saban: I don't really have a comment on that right now," Saban said. "I think Hugh Freeze is a really good coach, so we'll keep evaluating and trying to make our staff as strong as we can make it.
