Nick Saban's Advantage of Using Alumni on Scout Team Smart and Controversial

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — When he got the call, former University of Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson couldn't believe it. On the other end of the line was Crimson Tide strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran, asking him if he could drop everything that afternoon, saying, "We need you, man!"

"I thought he was asking me to come to practice as a spectator," Wilson said. "Never in a million years..."

It took him a while to realize Cochran wanted him to suit up and help Alabama's scout team prepare the defensive starters for Southeastern Conference rival LSU. The 31-year-old who is a financial adviser in nearby Birmingham tried to talk him out of it, but he finally relented.

He's not the only former Crimson Tide player to have worked with the scout team this fall, as quarterback Blake Sims and running back Trent Richardson did so as well. It's caused the rest of college football to do a significant double take.

"I hate that I didn't think of it first," said Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze, who's now looking into doing something similar. "It's something that I think is thinking out of the box."

Actually, it wasn't an Alabama brainstorm at all.

When California opened its season in Australia, newly retired National Football League running back Marshawn Lynch, nicknamed "Beast Mode" for his aggressive running style, made the trip and practiced for a day with his former team.

Since then, Lynch has continued to be around the Bears, attracting a lot of attention to an otherwise lackluster 4-6 season.

"I didn't know that you could do that," Pac-12 Network analyst Yogi Roth said. "I was like, 'Wow, that's intriguing.' I never saw that before."

The rule allowing participation is NCAA bylaw 14.2.1.6: "A former student at the certifying institution (e.g., former student-athlete) may participate in an organized practice session on an occasional basis, provided the institution does not publicize the participation of the former student at any time before the practice session."

It was adopted on March 3, 2011, and it is not unique to football. Other sports including basketball have been known to invite former players to practice, like when injuries have taken a toll and there otherwise aren't enough players for a full scrimmage.

The Crimson Tide did something similar.

When redshirt freshman quarterback Blake Barnett left the program at the end of September and one of the walk-on quarterbacks who would normally work with the scout team suffered a season-ending injury, Alabama suddenly found itself shorthanded.

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It led to Sims helping out in preparation for Texas A&M. Not only did he play the part of Aggies quarterback Trevor Knight, but he stuck around and did an on-air demonstration for ESPN's College GameDay.

"Blake just got released so he was looking for some place to work so he had a chance to get better," Saban said. "Based on our situation at quarterback and the kind of guy we were playing against, it was really convenient to have him here to help us."

Specifically, Sims had been bouncing around both the NFL and the Canadian Football League, trying out as both a quarterback and running back. In July, he even signed with the Wollongong Devils of Australia's new National Gridiron League, only to have it postpone the inaugural season to next year.

"We try to stay on top of the rules," Saban continued. "We have people in our administration who do a good job of letting us know what we can and can't do, and we would never do something like that unless we got it approved by the SEC office, which we did, and the NCAA. I think it was helpful to Blake."

It also caught Richardson's attention. The third overall selection in the 2012 draft has 46 games of NFL experience and 2,032 career rushing yards, but is coming off a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery. Wanting to test it out, he called Alabama and then spent a day pretending to be LSU running back Leonard Fournette.

Uncredited/Associated Press

That was during the same week Wilson helped out. Unlike Sims and Richardson, his playing days are behind him, so no hitting was involved. The three-year starter from 2006-08 wore a black jersey signaling no contact and the number of LSU starting quarterback Danny Etling.

"I wasn't going to sign up for that if I was going to let Jonathan Allen and those man-eaters up front hit me," Wilson said.

Although Etling likely wasn't thrilled to learn a 31-year-old retired player was playing his part for the Crimson Tide, other coaches took notice of Saban's latest maneuver.  

South Carolina's Will Muschamp, a former Saban assistant, hailed it as a "smart move." Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen called it "fantastic" but expressed concern about possible compensation.

"I think what it says, with a lot of things with Nick, he is always a cutting-edge guy who's always looking for ways to not only increase production from his current team, he keeps former players engaged,” Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said.

"It's an example of how he approaches the game, himself and the creative people he surrounds himself with."

However, Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson said to SiriusXM College Sports, "It's one thing to say you can't believe it, it's another to say, 'Wow, that's actually legal.'"

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly used stronger language during a recent press conference, making it clear he opposed the idea.

Consequently, the bylaw figures to draw debate during the offseason. In addition to potential insurance compensation, the health of the players is an obvious red flag after the NCAA had already recommended teams cut down on their number of full-contact practices during the season.

Moreover, because Alabama has such a rich collection of alumni players, it could be argued to have an unfair advantage. For example, Sumlin said he'd consider doing something similar, but he wasn't sure "we have that caliber of player that is out there and not playing in the NFL."

Regardless of what Johnny Manziel may be up to, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk took it a step further, suggesting using alumni players during practices "undercuts NFL's arbitrary draft rules," because "the NFL wants to keep kids from having to encounter violent contact on a football field with grown men."

Apparently he hasn't seen the Alabama defense this season.

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These are many of the same players who practiced against Heisman Trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry (6'2", 247 pounds) every day last season. Alabama already faced Jalen Hurd (6'4", 240) at Tennessee last month and has to start thinking about Auburn's Kamryn Pettway (6'0", 240) at the end of November.

"It's a bunch of NFL guys on the defense,"" said Wilson, who spent time with the NFL's Falcons, Jaguars and Steelers from 2009-13.

"Usually the difference between college and pros is that you'll have one good corner, or there will be one really good linebacker, and you can kind of pick on the other guy. If he's a half-step behind the receiver, it'll be a completed ball. It's just not the case with them. They have NFL talent all over the field."

Alabama has been that way for years under Saban, having won four national championships since 2009. So the players who have been coming back to help out at practice were either teammates, among those who helped recruit the active players or guys who helped pave the way for them to be successful with the Crimson Tide.

Naturally, the players like being around them, just like with Cal and Lynch.

"I tackled Trent," sophomore cornerback Marlon Humphrey bragged with a smile. "That's a big guy, man."

"It's pretty cool because I grew up watching those dudes," senior linebacker Ryan Anderson said. "To be out there with them, it's just a different feeling."

Saban sees it as a win-win. His team is better prepared, it keeps his players focused during practice and the attention might help a player like Sims or Richardson land a spot on a team.

"I think it really helped our players," Saban said. "I just love it that they all want to be back and they all want to be here. I know we have some guys coming back this week, too, that we're anxious to see."

Saban made that statement before No. 1 Alabama crushed Mississippi State on Saturday, 51-3. The Crimson Tide (10-0) will close their SEC schedule against No. 9 Auburn on Nov. 26 and have already locked up a spot in the SEC Championship Game.

As for Wilson, a guy who works out a couple of days a week and does some football analysis on the side, he could get another call depending on Alabama's final opponents. In the meantime, he feels like he holds a new form of bragging rights, as the quarterback he mimicked finished with just 92 passing yards.

"I did pretty well. I kind of surprised myself, to be honest with you," Wilson said. "I haven't thrown a ball in over three years. Went out there and it was like riding a bike. It was pretty crazy about how I walked back into it like it was yesterday.

"My body didn't respond like it used to, though."

There's no guarantee that the NCAA will allow the use of non-NFL players on scout teams to continue past this season, but it's another example of Saban being ahead of the curve in finding ways to make his players and team better. 

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.