Nick Saban recently attended a recruiting event in Alabama and has spoken out against NIL yet again. He made a splash last summer when he went at Jackson State and how he claimed they paid $1 million to get Travis Hunter. He followed that up by taking shots at Texas A&M saying the Aggies bought their 2022 No. 1 ranked recruiting class, featuring eight five-star recruits. That prompted a heated exchange between Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher and Saban. Saban later apologized for both of those comments.
Despite Bryce Young racking up $3.2 million in NIL money last season, Saban still doesn’t believe in building rosters and getting talent solely based on how much NIL money you can offer a player.
What Happened With the Recruits?
Saban didn’t name the two recruits that came to him with their demands while being recruited by Alabama, but he did give details on what the demands were.
Per the report saying Nick Saban turned down a 2023 prospect's massive NIL request (https://t.co/j7IW4VogSF) – @cpetagna247 and @CoachReedLive help us read between the lines… "He's saying you're not worth it bro, go play somewhere else." #CFBToday pic.twitter.com/sOMIKg8EzR
— Emily Proud (@emily_proud) January 31, 2023
“Someone with one of the best corners in the nation came to me and asked if we’d pay them $800,000 for the player to sign here,” Saban said, according to Fox. “I told him he can find another place to play. I’m not paying a kid a bunch of NIL money before he earns it.”
Ironically, Saban said that because it is reported by CBS that Young earned nearly seven figures in NIL money before he started a game for the Crimson Tide. Young didn’t come in asking for that amount though, and he did more than enough to earn it when he became just the fourth Heisman winner in Crimson Tide history.
“Another player wanted $500,000 and for us to get his girlfriend into law school at Alabama and pay for it. I showed him the door,” Saban said, according to ALFCA president Terry Curtis.
2023 Crimson Tide Recruiting Class
Saban finished with top recruiting class in the country and SEC for this year. They got three of the top-ten recruits in the class of 2023 and signed nine five-star players, which is the most in the country.
The Crimson Tide barely edged out Georgia, which finished second in recruiting. The Tide are hoping this translates on the field as well. They missed the College Football Playoffs for the first time since college football transitioned into the playoffs format in 2014. It was also the first time the Crimson Tide had two regular-season losses since the 2010 season.
NIL isn’t going anywhere and right now there is not a system in place to regulate it. So, only time will tell if Saban will stay true to his beliefs of not giving a recruit anything he wants to sign him. He does have a proven track record with 46 first-round picks and counting.
