Alabama Football Held Players-Only Meeting Despite Nick Saban's Praise After USF Win

Saturday's 17-3 win over South Florida prompted a players-only meeting for Alabama.

Offensive lineman Tyler Booker said on The Next Round he and his teammates spoke Sunday behind closed doors.

"Everybody got a lot of stuff off their chest," he said (via Nick Kelly of the Tuscaloosa News). "I feel like we're all on the same page now. You know what I mean? It's unfortunate it took a loss at Bryant-Denny and a subpar game in Tampa for that to happen. But I feel like we're all on the same page now, and I am excited to see how the rest of the season goes now that we're all on the same page."

At least publicly, Alabama head coach Nick Saban presented a positive front in the immediate aftermath of a tough contest against a lesser opponent. He told reporters he was "really proud of our players for the way they competed in the game."

The sky isn't falling in Tuscaloosa just yet because the end of Saban's dynasty has been prematurely forecast for years.

But the program might be at its lowest ebb in a while based on the early returns.

A week after the defense allowed 454 yards in its 34-24 defeat to Texas, it was the offense's turn to raise concerns.

Saban demoted Jalen Milroe as starting quarterback and didn't even put him on the field for reasons that appear to extend beyond his performance. In place of Milroe, Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson combined to go 10-of-23 for 107 yards.

There was a time when the Crimson Tide could win a national title with an archetypal game manager leading a pro-style offense. The evolution of Saban's approach is evident in him having a succession of first-round draft picks line up under center.

ESPN's Chris Low reported Monday that "some close to the program think Saban will go back to Jalen Milroe." As dynamic as the sophomore signal-caller can be, he isn't the second coming of Tua Tagovailoa or Bryce Young.

Sooner or later, Saban's perpetual winning machine will come off the rails.

Kirby Smart has basically followed his former boss' blueprint to build an even more optimized machine at Georgia. The advent of the NIL era and the transfer portal leveled the field a bit in terms of recruiting, leaving Alabama unable to stockpile the kind of talent it could before.

That the Crimson Tide locker room would stage a players-only meeting after a 2-1 start is evidence of how there's a palpable sense of tension for those around the team.