30 best Alabama football players to play for Nick Saban
By Nick Villano
Ranking the 30 best Alabama football players to play for head coach Nick Saban during his tenure in Tuscaloosa.
This is currently one of the greatest runs in the history of college football. The Alabama Crimson Tide replaces NFL-caliber talent every year. Just last year, six Alabama players went in the first round of the NFL Draft. Despite this, the Crimson Tide was still in the National Championship Game. This was supposed to be their “rebuilding” year. Despite that, they were one win away from Nick Saban’s eighth championship, which would have extended his record.
The reason this can continue is because of Saban’s impeccable recruiting record. He took over the Alabama program in 2007. After one down season, he started winning double-digit games every season. We mean every season. He’s won at least 10 games for 14 seasons in a row. There have been eight College Football Playoffs in the history of the sport. Alabama has been in seven of them.
Saban has brought the kind of success this fanbase expects. Between Bear Bryant and Saban, there were six different coaches of the Alabama Crimson Tide. None of them lasted more than seven years. Then, Saban came in and the program will never be the same again.
Saban is only as good as the players he coaches. He’s been recruiting dozens and dozens of five-star recruits over the years. Saban recruits have won the Heisman four times, the school to have four different Heisman Trophy winners. It’s not all the top players. He also has 44 All-Americans on his roster. The list is so insane, just look at who could only make an honorable mention.
Best Alabama football players under Nick Saban: Honorable mention
- Jalen Hurts, Greg McElroy, Eddie Lacy, Kenyan Drake, TJ Yeldon, Javier Arenas, Courtney Upshaw, Reggie Ragland
Now, let’s take a look at the players who did make the list. Saban left a lasting legacy, but his players are who helped him get there. You can’t be the greatest of all time without a lot of help, especially in college football.