Alabama head coach Nick Saban is considered to be at the top of his profession for a reason. The legendary mind has enjoyed ridiculous success in Tuscaloosa and, with that, his words bring a great deal of weight. That is why it is a big deal when he changes a stance.
For a long time, Saban was an outspoken critic of satellite camps, to the point where he once engaged in a back-and-forth with Michigan's Jim Harbaugh on the topic. Now, though, Saban's tune appears to be changing, as he attended his first camp over the weekend.
Saban's arrival at USF's satellite camp, run by head coach Charlie Strong, is noteworthy because it was the first time he made such an appearance. Later, Saban was also reportedly scheduled to attend a camp at Florida International and that makes his first tour anything but a coincidence. However, there is a subplot involved here in that Saban's involvement reportedly has direct ties to former Alabama offensive coordinator and current FAU head coach Lane Kiffin.
The notion that Saban is doing anything in direct contrast to Kiffin and Ohio State's Urban Meyer is wildly interesting. Meyer is arguably Saban's biggest competitor nationally and Kiffin, well, did not have the most "normal" exit from Tuscaloosa. This is something that Saban is very unlikely to confirm but, for the most part, smoke like this indicates fire at some point.