Nick Saban Calls Alabama 'The Ultimate Team' After Winning 2021 CFP Championship

Alabama head coach Nick Saban has now won seven national championships, but that didn't stop him from singling out his 2020 squad. 

"To me, this is the ultimate team," Saban said before lifting the trophy.

The Crimson Tide earned a 52-24 win over Ohio State in Monday's title game to finish 13-0 on the year, the second undefeated squad in Saban's career.

The talent on the field was obvious with Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith as well as top-five finishers Mac Jones and Najee Harris. It created one of the best offenses in college football history.

However, Saban also acknowledged the mentality of the squad that led to so much success:

"All these guys bought into everything they needed to do to be the best players that they could be. There's more togetherness on this team than almost any team that we've ever had. And they had to overcome and persevere so much adversity through this season and they've done it magnificently. I'm so proud of this group for what they've been able to accomplish while going undefeated and winning a national championship."

The coach was emotional when discussing the team during the celebration:

This year was different for every team in college football dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Crimson Tide continued to thrive. Even with a regular-season schedule featuring exclusively SEC competition and two tough opponents in the College Football Playoff, the team never had a setback.

"To me this team accomplished more than almost any team," Saban told reporters. "No disrespect to other teams we had but this team won 11 SEC games. No other team has done that. They won the SEC and went undefeated in the SEC and then they beat two great teams in the playoffs with no break."

Though Saban has had as much success in his career as anyone in football history, he will never forget this year's team.