The Leadership Style and Skills Of Nick Saban PDF

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The$Leadership$Of$Nick$Saban$ ! Fox!Sports’!Joe!Klatt!once!made!an!interesting!observation.!!He!said!and!I’m! paraphrasing,!“We!are!wasting!Nick!Saban!on!coaching.!!He!needs!to!be!doing! something!like!running!for!president.”!!What!Joe!was!saying!is!Nick’s!philosophy!of! leadership,!organizational!capabilities,!personnel!development,!commitment!to! excellence,!and!legendary!“Process”!are!at!historic!levels!and!applicable!to!any!field! of!endeavor.! ! At!the!time!of!this!writing,!the!following!are!just!some!of!his!accomplishments:! ! • 5!National!Championships!(2003!with!LSU,!2009,!2011,!2012,!2015)! • 7!Southeastern!Conference!Championships! • 2003!and!2008!National!Coach!of!the!Year! • And!most!important,!45!years!of!happy!marriage!to!his!wife!“Miss!Terry”! ! Because!of!Coach!Saban’s!unparalleled!success!and!distinct!leadership!insights,!I! wanted!to!compile!many!of!his!thoughts!so!leaders!all!walks!of!life!can!learn!from! them.! ! You!do!not!have!to!enjoy!sports!to!appreciate!this!resource.!!Whether!you!lead!a! church,!business,!non-profit!or!athletic!organization,!if!you!apply!these!concepts,! you!will!be!a!better!leader.! ! The!following!Table!Of!Contents!provide!Coach!Saban’s!thoughts!on!a!multitude!of! topics:! ! Subject$ $ $ $ $ $ $ Page$ ! The!Process! ! ! ! ! ! ! 2! Mistakes! ! ! ! ! ! ! 5! Success! ! ! ! ! ! ! 6! Recruiting! ! ! ! ! ! ! 11! Culture! ! ! ! ! ! ! 12! Skills! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 14! Staffing! ! ! ! ! ! ! 16! Confidence! ! ! ! ! ! ! 17! Failure! ! ! ! ! ! ! 18! Intelligence! ! ! ! ! ! ! 19! Family!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 21! Leadercast!Conference! ! ! ! ! 22! ! ! !

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The$Process$ ! USA!Today!–!August!10,!2010! ! “It’s!more!difficult!to!focus!on!the!process!of!what!it!takes!to!be!successful!when! you’re!coming!off!success.!!That’s!certainly!going!to!be!a!challenge!for!our!team:!our! player’s!willingness!to!focus!on!doing!the!right!things.!!The!things!that!are!necessary! to!create!an!identity!for!this!team!in!terms!of!what!this!team!wants!to!accomplish! and!what!this!team!can!do!in!this!football!season!is!what!we’re!trying!to!focus!on.”! ! Sports!Illustrated!–!January!14,!2013! ! “He!(Bear!Bryant)!was!a!very!good!fundamental!coach.!!But!what!he!really!did!well! was!create!intangibles!like!toughness!and!discipline!and!giving!great!effort!and! executing!your!job…What!you!have!to!admire!most!about!Coach!Bryant!is!that!he! could!do!it!for!such!a!long!time!at!such!a!high!level.!!Because!people!think!there!is!a! continuum!of!success.!!There!is!no!continuum!of!success.!!It!starts!over!with!every! team.”! ! “Get!your!(assistant!coaches)!work!done!by!10,!get!to!sleep!by!11,!and!then!you!can! get!up!by!six.!!But!you!have!to!have!your!work!done!by!10.!!That’s!why!we!put!the! whole!process!into!place.”! ! “The!legacy!of!this!team!will!be!determined!in!the!future.!!We!need!to!move!ahead.”! ! “Don’t!get!overwhelmed!by!the!opportunity.!!It’s!a!big!game,!but!it’s!just!another! game.!!Have!fun.!!Dominate!your!opponent.!!Play!60!minutes.”!–!linebacker!Nico! Johnson! ! Sports!Illustrated!!–!June!10th! ! “The!only!advantage!we!create!is!the!efficiency!in!what!we!do!and!how!we!do!it.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!November!9,!2013! ! “You!must!stay!focused!on!the!process!of!what!you!need!to!do.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!November!30,!2013! ! “What!we!try!to!do!is!get!our!guys!focused!on!the!process!of!what!is!going!to!happen! on!the!field!and!how!they!need!to!impact!what!happens!on!the!field.”! ! ! ! !

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The!Herd!With!Colin!Cowherd!!-!July!22,!2014! ! “I!like!for!our!players!to!not!get!so!engrossed!in!the!attention!they!get!from!that!type! of!communication!(Twitter)!that!they!lose!focus!on!the!things!they!need!to!do!to!be! productive!people,!students!and!players.!!That’s!where!I!draw!the!line!on!it.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!November!29,!2014! ! “Trust!in!your!tools,!your!technique,!the!plan,!the!discipline!to!execute!all!those! things.”! ! Sports!Illustrated!–!January!18,!2016! ! “Process.!!When!I!first!started!this,!I!probably!had!the!same!approach!with! everybody!and!thought!everybody!should!buy!into!that!approach.!!Now!it’s!more! individual!and!what!makes!it!happen!for!him,!because!success!is!always!tied!to! action,!but!action!is!always!tied!to!your!thoughts.”! ! ESPN!SportsCenter!–!July!19th,!2016! “You’ve!got!to!forget!about!the!past!and!focus!on!what’s!happening!in!the!future.”! ! “Regardless!of!your!circumstance,!you!have!some!expectation!for!what!you!want!to! try!to!accomplish.”! ! “You!have!to!focus!on!the!things!you!need!to!do!to!accomplish!the!goals!you!have!! rather!than!the!expectation.!!The!expectation!can!create!a!tremendous!amount!of! anxiety!and!a!loss!of!focus!on!the!things!you!need!to!do!to!have!the!success.”! ! “The!key!to!what!we!try!to!do!is!get!our!players!to!have!the!discipline!to!execute!the! things!they!need!to!do!to!accomplish!the!goals!they!have.!!This!gets!hard!to!do! because!of!external!circumstances.”! ! ESPN!Championship!Drive!College!Football!Preview!–!August!30,!2016! ! “Are!we!doing!the!things!we!need!to!do!to!get!where!we!need!to!be?”! ! “It!is!always!a!work!in!progress!to!get!the!team!chemistry!you!want!on!your!team.”! ESPN!College!Gameday!-!October!22,!2016! ! “You!have!to!look!at!the!season!it’s!almost!like!climbing!a!mountain.!!Not!everybody! reaches!the!top.!!Few!people!that!reach!the!top!can!stay!on!top.!!But!the!thing!that! everybody!realizes!that’s!on!top!is!you!got!to!keep!climbing.!!Those!people!can!never! arrive.!!You!got!to!keep!grinding.!!That’s!what!we!do!during!the!season.”! 3

! “The!way!we!approach!competition!–!We!don’t!talk!a!lot!about!winning.!!We!talk!a! lot!about!what!do!you!have!to!do!to!play!your!best!on!a!consistent!basis.!!That’s!what! going!to!benefit!you!the!most!as!a!player.!!That’s!what’s!going!to!benefit!the!team!the! most.!!That’s!what!we!try!to!get!the!players!to!do.!!Focus!on!a!high!standard!of! consistency!in!their!play!and!understanding!they!never!arrived.!!That!the!season!is!a! grind.!!It’s!a!long!haul!and!you!have!to!be!prepared!and!ready!to!play!every!week.”! ESPN!College!Gameday!-!November!5,!2016! ! “The!big!thing!is!not!to!focus!on!expectation!but!what!happens!on!the!next!play.”!!! ! SportsCenter!-!November!24,!2016! "You!practice!something!not!until!you!get!it!right.!!You!practice!something!until!you! can't!get!it!wrong.”! ! !

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Mistakes$ ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!October!2,!2010! ! “In!trying!to!do!too!much!to!win,!you!make!mistakes.!!He!(quarterback!Greg! McElroy)!doesn’t!do!that.”!! ! Sports!Illustrated!–!January!14,!2013! ! “The!times!around!here!when!we’ve!lost!games,!it’s!always!been!after!a!lousy!week! of!practice.”!–!center!Barrett!Jones! ! The!Herd!With!Colin!Cowherd!!-!July!22,!2014! ! “I’ve!learned!how!to!manage!players!better.!!When!you!get!emotional!with!players! that’s!where!you!make!mistakes.”! ! “I!pray!I!don’t!get!angry!because!that’s!the!times!you!do!things!you’re!sorry!for.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!November!29,!2014! ! “You!have!to!channel!your!energy!and!emotion!in!the!right!place…You!can!get! misplaced!emotion!which!doesn’t!help!you!play!well.”! ! ! ! $ $

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Success$ ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!November!6,!2010! ! “We!get!everybody!else’s!best!game!because!of!who!we!are!and!what!we’ve!done.”! ! The!Sporting!News!–!November!8,!2010! ! “Sometimes!you’ve!got!to!make!the!job!you’ve!got!an!even!better!job!and!quit! worrying!about!the!next!job.”! ! ESPN!SportsCenter!–!January!10,!2011! ! “The!biggest!thing!is!to!focus!on!winning!football.!!Don’t!get!caught!in!all!the!clutter.”!! ! “No!one’s!allowed!to!talk!about!winning!the!national!championship.!!Focus!on! dominating!the!guy!you!play!against!and!assume!that!guy!is!best!guy!you’ve!ever! played!against.”!! ! “It’s!the!clutter!outside!the!game!that!you!want!to!keep!away!from!your!players!so! that!they!can!focus!on!the!things!they!need!to!do!to!play!great!football.”! ! “When!you!take!over!a!program!everybody’s!got!positive!energy…The!longer!you’re! there!and!you!have!success!you!create!expectations!for!yourself.!!It!makes!it!more! difficult!for!everyone!to!stay!positive!because!you’re!not!going!to!win!the! championship!every!year.”! ! Sports!Illustrated!–!January!14,!2013! ! “To!repeat,!it!takes!a!special!will!because!you’re!always!fighting!against!yourself.!!It’s! human!nature!to!be!satisfied!with!what!you!did!last!year.!!It!takes!a!special!group,! with!special!character,!to!overcome!that.!!And!this!team!did.”! ! “They’re!just!better!than!us.!!They’re!better!than!everybody.”!-!Notre!Dame!athletic! director!Jack!Swarbrick!! ! “History!can’t!help!us!win!the!next!game.”!! ! “We’ve!got!guys!who!need!to!make!decisions!about!next!year!(and!the!NFL).!!I!want! to!be!ready!for!them!by!Thursday.!!You’ve!got!to!be!thinking!ahead.”!! ! “I!don’t!have!unfinished!business!in!the!NFL.!It’s!not!even!something!I!want!to!do.”! ! ! !

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Rivals.com!and!ESPN.com!–!February!9,!2013! ! “He!(Bear!Bryant)!was!a!very!good!fundamental!coach.!!But!what!he!really!did!well! was!create!intangibles!like!toughness!and!discipline!and!giving!great!effort!and! executing!your!job…What!you!have!to!admire!most!about!Coach!Bryant!is!that!he! could!do!it!for!such!a!long!time!at!such!a!high!level.!!Because!people!think!there!is!a! continuum!of!success.!!There!is!no!continuum!of!success.!!It!starts!over!with!every! team.”! ! Sports!Illustrated!–!November!25,!2013! ! “Just!elevate!him!(A.J.!McCarron)!in!terms!of!winning,!in!terms!of!affecting!our! success,!which!is!what!it!should!be!about!anyway.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!November!9,!2013! ! “Maybe!his!statistics!are!not!what!somebody!else’s!are!but!really!what!you!should! equate!things!to!are!production,!performance,!efficiency,!consistency,!and! winning.!!And!that’s!what!he’s!done!better!than!anyone!else.”!–!on!quarterback!A.J.! McCarron! ! “They’ve!been!less!predictable!and!that’s!made!them!more!effective.”!–!on!preparing! for!LSU! ! “If!you!play!good!teams!they’re!going!to!make!some!big!plays!too!and!you’ve!got!to! go!play!the!next!play.”! ! ESPN!SportsCenter!–!July!18,!2014! ! “We!didn’t!end!the!season!last!year!like!we!did!the!previous!two!when!we!had! success.”! ! “You!get!everybody!to!buy!into!the!principles!and!values!that!helped!you!be! successful!in!the!past.!!Can’t!complain.!!Can’t!judge.”! ! “Everybody’s!got!to!do!their!job!for!the!team.”! ! The!Herd!With!Colin!Cowherd!!-!July!22,!2014! ! “The!disparity!of!the!players!coming!in!in!terms!of!how!they!think!of!things,!what! they!do.!!How!do!you!challenge!them?!!How!do!you!help!them!develop!the!right! habits!and!be!successful!because!it!used!to!be!the!player!was!afraid!NOT!to!do!what! the!coach!said.!!Now!these!guys!are!like,!‘I’ve!arrived.'”! !

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“Sometimes!you!have!to!know!that!you!can’t!make!decisions!based!upon!public! opinion!when!you!know!there’s!enough!positive!assets!there!to!help!the! organization.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!October!11,!2014! ! “Nobody!talked!about!it!(lack!of!leadership)!for!the!first!four!games!when!we!played! really!well.”! !! “We!didn’t!have!a!lot!of!energy!last!week.!!We!didn’t!play!with!the!same!kind!of! intensity!we!like!to!play!with.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!November!29,!2014! ! “Next!man!up.!!Whoever!has!to!come!up!and!play!has!to!take!advantage!of!the! opportunity!they!have.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!!-!January!1,!2015! ! “This!is!not!the!right!time!for!a!Knute!Rockne!speech.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!September!5,!2015! ! “Not!asking!them!(quarterbacks)!to!do!things!they!can’t!do,!especially!early!in!the! season,!is!going!to!be!key!to!success.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!November!7,!2015! ! “The!most!important!thing!your!team!needs!to!do!in!big!games!is!to!be!able!to!stay! focused!on!executing!on!the!field!and!not!get!involved!in!all!the!hype!outside!the! game.”! ! “Win!your!individual!battle.!!Win!the!one!on!one!battles.!!Execute!and!do!your!job! together!as!a!group!gives!you!the!best!chance!to!be!successful!in!a!game!like!this.”! ! “What!makes!our!front!seven!better!than!groups!we’ve!had!before!is!our!diversity.”! ! “How!did!you!plan!the!game?!!A!lot!of!these!decisions!get!determined!on!Tuesday,! Wednesday!and!Thursday!on!what!you’re!going!to!do!in!these!situations.”! ! “We’ve!affected!most!quarterbacks!we’ve!played!which!is!key!to!getting!off!the!field! on!third!downs.”! ! ! !

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ESPN!Hannah!Storm!Interview!with!Clemson!Tiger!head!coach!Dabo!Swinney!–! January!11,!2016! ! “You!never!want!them!to!look!at!the!scoreboard.!!A!scoreboard!is!the!definition!of! the!history!of!what!happened,!even!during!a!game.!!It!has!nothing!to!do!with!what’s! going!to!happen!in!the!future,!on!the!next!play,!or!the!next!year!of!your!life.”! ! “Those!guys!(Alabama!players)!changing!and!evolving!from!the!time!they!came!until! the!time!they!left!and!seeing!the!change,!those!are!the!kind!of!things!that!make!me! happy.”! ! ESPN!SportsCenter!–!July!19th,!2016! ! “We!don’t!want!our!quarterback!to!feel!he!has!to!win!the!game.!!You!don’t!him!to! feel!like!you!have!to!force!things!to!win!the!game.!!If!you!execute!with!the!players! around!you!and!do!your!job,!and!make!good!choices,!we’re!going!to!have!a!chance!to! be!successful.”! ! “The!key!to!what!we!try!to!do!is!get!our!players!to!have!the!discipline!to!execute!the! things!they!need!to!do!to!accomplish!the!goals!they!have.!!This!gets!hard!to!do! because!of!external!circumstances.”! ! “I!probably!get!more!(enjoyment)!when!I!see!a!player!have!success.”! ! “A!60-10!game.!!You!play!the!(championship)!game!for!60!minutes!and!the!10! minutes!after!the!game!define!something!you!remember!for!the!rest!of!your!life.”! ESPN%First%Take%–!July%19,"2016! ! “You!try!to!avoid!complacency.!!When!you!have!success,!people!think!I’m!supposed! to!get!some!time!off…They!start!to!resent!the!hard!work.!!They!start!to!question! some!of!the!principles!and!values!that!helped!them!become!successful.”! ! “Complacency,!which!creates!a!blatant!disregard!for!doing!things!correctly,!which!is! very!important!if!you!want!to!have!success.”! ! “Losing!to!Ole!Miss!(last!season)!is!probably!the!one!thing!that!helped!us!the!most!to! continue!to!develop!the!kind!of!team!chemistry!we!needed.”! ! ! ! “The!quarterback!doesn’t!always!have!to!win!the!game!for!us.”! ! “The!most!important!thing!when!you!have!a!quarterback!battle!is!quarterbacks! focus!on!what!they!need!to!do!and!not!what!the!other!guy!is!doing.”! ! !

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ESPNU!–!August!7,!2016! ! “You!have!talent.!!You!have!to!have!passion,!perseverance,!work!ethic,!disciple!to!be! able!to!turn!that!into!skill.!!Then!have!passion,!perseverance,!work!ethic,!and! discipline!to!make!that!successful!achievement.”! ! ESPN!Championship!Drive!College!Football!Preview!–!August!30,!2016! ! “It!is!so!much!better!if!you!can!define!what!people!need!to!do!to!be!successful.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!-!November!26,!2016! ! "How!much!emotion!vs.!how!much!anxiety!you!create!with!the!participants!in!terms! of!how!they!perform.!!Getting!the!right!balance!in!that!is!a!key!in!getting!your! players!to!participate!in!games!like!this!(vs.!Auburn).”! ! SportsCenter!-!November!24,!2016! ! "Some!people!think!coaching!Xs!and!Os!and!drawing!up!plays,!and!defensives!and! schemes.!!But!really!it's!the!ability!to!get!the!players!to!execute."! ! "Everybody's!got!to!be!all!in,!especially!at!this!time!of!year!and!can't!get!distracted,! is!because!the!legacy!of!this!team!is!still!out!there.!!How!we!finish!will!really! determine!the!success!of!this!team!and!some!of!the!most!difficult!games!and! challenges!we!have!are!still!in!front!of!us."! ! "Some!of!our!best!players!have!been!our!best!leaders.!!They!care!the!most!about!the! team.!!They're!the!most!competitive!guys!when!it!comes!to!wanting!to!win.!!That's! what!makes!them!who!they!are!as!football!players."! ! ! $ $

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Recruiting$ ! The!Sporting!News!–!January!12,!2011! “He!made!my!mother!feel!good!and!then!he!told!me!specifically!how!he!was!going!to! help!me!become!the!player!I!wanted!to!be,!how!I!would!be!in!position!to!play! professionally.”!–!linebacker!Rolando!McClain! ! Rivals.com!and!ESPN.com!–!February!9,!2013! ! “You!must!define!the!critical!factors!that!you!are!looking!for!so!that!everybody!is!out! there!looking!for!the!same!things!relative!to!what’s!important!to!your!system.”! ! “Doing!a!good!job!developing!relationships…that!support!these!guys!and!help!them! be!successful!when!they!get!here.”! ! “Signing!day!is!the!culmination!of!a!lot!of!hard!work.”! ! “Just!because!you!get!the!puppy!dog!with!the!biggest!feet!doesn’t!mean!he’ll!grow!up! to!be!the!best!hunting!dog.”! ! “I!think!Reuben!(Foster)!came!here!because!he!wanted!the!structure.!He!wants!to! get!it!right.!He!wants!to!do!things!the!right!way,!and!we!want!to!help!him!do!that.!I! think!he’s!got!the!right!heart!and!the!right!character!to!do!it.”! ! The!Herd!With!Colin!Cowherd!!-!July!22,!2014! ! “Evaluating.!!Another!part!of!recruiting!that!people!sometimes!underestimate.”! ! “Even!if!you!have!illegal!contact!with!a!player,!he!tweets!it!that!you!talked!to! him.!!It’s!(recruiting)!so!transparent!you!have!to!do!things!correctly.”! ! ESPN!First!Take!–!July!22,!2014! ! “As!coaches!you’re!a!competitor.!!If!you!recruit!a!kid!and!you!lose!him,!you’re!always! looking!for!a!reason.!!One!of!the!easiest!reasons!is!the!other!guy!did!something! illegal.!!I!don’t!buy!into!that.”! “The!#1!thing!that!blows!up!my!future!and!blows!up!any!coach’s!future!is!if!you! violate!NCAA!rules.!!So!that’s!a!big!risk!to!be!taken!over!winning!a!football!game.”! ! $ $

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Culture$ ! ESPN!SportsCenter!–!January!10,!2011! ! “I!think!who!you!are!is!the!important!thing.!!You’ve!worked!all!year!to!establish!an! identity.”! ! Sports!Illustrated!–!October!10,!2011! ! “We!come!to!punish!people.!!But!everything!we!do!starts!with!Coach! Saban.!!Everything.”!–!defensieve!lineman!Courtney!Upshaw! ! The!Herd!With!Colin!Cowherd!!-!July!22,!2014! “I’m!having!more!fun!now!than!ever!before!because!I!think!the!challenges!are! greater!especially!with!the!players.”! ! ESPN!First!Take!–!July!22,!2014! ! “The!attitude!of!our!team!is!completely!different!going!into!to!this!season!than!it! was!a!year!ago!because!we’re!trying!to!reestablish!our!identity.”! ! Heisman!Trophy!Show!–!December!13,!2014! ! “Amare!(Cooper)!has!affected!everyone!in!our!organization!because!of!the!example! he!sets.”! ! ESPN!College!Gameday!–!January!1,!2015! ! “You’re!always!concerned!when!you’ve!been!off!for!awhile!and!you!come!back!and! how!you!are!going!to!carry!the!momentum!from!the!season!to!the!game!you!play.”! ! ESPN!Hannah!Storm!Interview!with!Clemson!Tiger!head!coach!Dabo!Swinney!–! January!11,!2016! ! “When!you!talk!about!adolescent!children.!!He!(Swinney)!has!115.!!We!have!130! plus!all!the!other!people!in!the!organization.”! ESPN!SportsCenter!–!July!19th,!2016! ! “We’ve!just!become!the!target.!!When!you!win!the!championship!everybody!circles! that!game!on!your!schedule!and!you!get!everybody’s!best!game.!!You!have!to! prepare!yourself!to!be!ready!for!that.”! !

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“Every!team!has!to!develop!their!own!identity,!their!own!personality,!and!that!gets! done!by!everybody!accepting!their!role!to!make!this!team!better.”! ! ! ! “I!think!it’s!very,!very!important!that!everybody!on!our!team!understands!that!we! have!a!responsibility!and!obligation!to!be!someone!that!someone!can!emulate.!!Do! positive!things!that!create!value!for!you!as!a!person.”! ! “To!show!that!you!care!is!a!big!part!of!being!a!leader!which!means!you’re!willing!to! help!someone!else.”! ! ESPN%First%Take%–!July%19,"2016! ! “What!we’re!most!concerned!about!is!the!well-being!of!our!players.”! ! ESPNU!–!August!7,!2016! ! “The!#1!thing!I’m!concerned!about!is!the!players!on!our!team.!!It’s!not!what! everyone!thinks!externally.”! ! “Anything!involving!player!safety!you!have!to!respect.!!Player!safety!trumps!it!all.”! ! ! $ $

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Skills$ ! Sports!Illustrated!–!October!10,!2011! ! “Saban!is!as!good!a!defensive!mind!as!I’ve!come!across.”!unidentified!offensive! coordinator! ! Sports!Illustrated!–!January!14,!2013! ! “I!think!he’s!probably!the!greatest!college!football!coach!in!history.”!–!NFL! Network’s!Heath!Evans! ! “The!thing!with!Nick!is!that!he’s!going!to!be!on!the!cutting!edge!of!technique!in!terms!of! all!aspects!of!football,!right!down!to!the!line,!fu...