As Alabama commandeered the Omni Dallas Hotel for SEC Media Days on Wednesday, the legendary Nick Saban was paying close attention. On Day 3 of SEC Network’s coverage, Saban was present as Kalen DeBoer addressed the media.
Throughout the day, Alabama’s player representatives shared their experiences of seeing Saban on TV rather than in person. One of the standout moments came from Tyler Booker, who humorously accused Saban of “playing golf all day” and making predictions. Malachi Moore also jested about the coach’s frequent smiles now that he’s on television.
After Wednesday’s press conference concluded, Saban was shown clips of his players’ comments on the SEC Now show, and he had a fittingly humorous response. “None of that surprises me,” Saban said with a laugh. “As soon as I saw the face of the guy doing the talking, I knew exactly what he was gonna say.”
Booker’s joke was a response to a rare prediction from Saban, made during SEC Media Days in his second assignment for ESPN. Saban had predicted that Georgia and Texas would compete in the conference title game, with Alabama missing out.
When asked about Saban’s prediction, Booker cleverly turned one of Saban’s own sayings against him. “Coach Saban always taught me not to pay attention to external voices,” Booker said at the podium. “He always used to say, ‘Don’t let some guy that lives in their mom’s basement determine how you feel.’ So I’m not gonna let some guy who plays golf all day determine how I feel. I’m not too worried about it because he’s an external factor now. He works at the stadium, not the facility.”
With Saban transitioning into the media world—a role that will expand further when College GameDay returns in the fall—he’s now dispensing the very “rat poison” he used to caution against. Moore noted this shift, acknowledging that he hears Saban’s media commentary and sees more smiles from the coach when the cameras are on.
“I think Coach Saban did a good job of putting a little bit of rat poison out there this week,” Moore told Alyssa Lang. “But nah, he’s been doing good.”
This transition marks a new chapter for Saban, who continues to impact the college football landscape, now through a different lens. His players, while making light-hearted jabs, still respect his influence and teachings, demonstrating the unique relationship they have with their iconic coach.
