Nick Saban is already the greatest college football coach of all time. His seven national championships and 10 SEC championships are more than every coach dreams of. Not to mention his team is always in the title hunt.
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Saban's track record speaks for itself, but every once in a while he gives us a nuanced moment that reminds us why he's in a class of his own. He has a great sense of humor, he gives back to his community without expecting any praise and he'll defend his players against anyone.
Saban went out of his way to praise quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson Jr. following the Crimson Tide's loss to Georgia in the national title game.
Moments like this prove why so many guys love playing for him.
Nick Saban's National Title Postgame Press Conference
Alabama coach Nick Saban stops Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. from leaving the #NationalChampionship postgame presser and sends a message: "These two guys that are sitting up here, they're not defined by one game." #RollTide @_bryce_young @will_anderson28 pic.twitter.com/TUZYYiT6Lw
— #WVTM13 (@WVTM13) January 11, 2022
RELATED: 20 Nick Saban Quotes to Turn Anyone Into a Champion
Nobody likes losing, but Alabama is held to a different standard than anyone else because they're the Alabama Crimson Tide. If they don't win by at least three touchdowns, it can be painted as a failure. Praise is rare among the general public because they're expected to be perfect.
Saban himself addressed this prior to the Auburn matchup by saying, "our players work their butt off to be the best that they can be. To get criticized for what they work hard to do, so you can be entertained ... they're not perfect. They're just college students."
So, after the player portion of the national championship postgame press conference wrapped up, Saban made a point to appreciate two of his team's biggest leaders before they went back to the locker room.
"These two guys sitting up here, they're not defined by one game they played great for us all year, they were great competitors, great leaders on this team and they contributed tremendously to the success of this team," Saban told reporters.
"And we would not be here without them. And both of them take responsibility for the loss, but both of them contributed in a lot of ways, in a positive way, to giving us a chance to win and a chance to be here to have an opportunity to win. I just want to thank them for that and let everyone know how proud I am of these two guys."
If you're a recruit and you see this, you can't sign fast enough. It's more than that, though. Saban makes it evidently clear that if you give your best, he'll give you his, win or lose.
Tell me this isn't a guy you wouldn't want to lay everything on the line for.
