Does Alabama's Nick Saban Have It All?

Larry Burton (Panama City Beach, Fl.) Yes he's got a beautiful wife that not only allows him to follow his dream, but journeys with him through it, two wonderful kids, fame, money and more Alabamians loving him than the governor of the state.

But I didn't want to discuss the personal side of Nick Saban, only the professional one.

Does Nick Saban really have it all? Does he have all the answers, all the plans, all the men around him and playing for him to keep him at this level?

That answer is no, and Nick would be the first to tell you that. He is driven to always try and be on top, and to drive those around him to the same goal, but smart enough to realize that no one, not even a man with it all, can stay on top forever.

But to answer the question in the most literal sense, yes, Nick Saban has it all.

The Job and the Place

Almost a year ago, I had the chance to speak with Nick and wrote an article called Why Nick Saban is Part of The Bama Nation. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/179022-nick-saban-on-why-he-is-a-part-of-the-bama-nation

In that article Nick explained that he was truly sold on Alabama as not only the best job in the world, but why he felt that way.

After some time in the NFL, it was just not Nick, but his wife Terry too, who missed the college football life. For Saban, the old adage was true, you don't know what you've got till it's gone. They wanted another college job.

So he wanted back in, but LSU had a coach. It was up to Alabama's leading salesman and Athletic Director Mal Moore to convince the Saban's that Alabama was the place.

The above mentioned article mentions how and why Saban is sold on Alabama now, and why it's his last job until he becomes Terry's full time handyman up at Lake Burton.

More recently, he's only re-enforced that same talk by talking about the millions of dollars spent on improvements in facilities for the football program, the second to none stadium, training facilities and tradition that are all perks of the job here at Alabama.

The Fan Base

Reasons included a fan base brought 93,000 fans to a spring game. Nick still gets a little emotional when telling how much that meant to welcome him into the family. Nick has always believed the fans are the twelfth player on every play.

Saban goes almost out of his way in speeches and post game press conferences to praise the fans. To Nick, a great fan-base is not just a great game day tool, but a recruiting tool as well.

The Administration

Let's start with the man who brought him to Alabama. Mal Moore is more than his boss, he's a friend and the Golden Goose who can bring in the money to update the facilities. He's also a trusted confidant. Most men don't have those same feelings about their boss.

Then there's the University President, Dr. Whitt. Again the refrain is not just my President, but my friend, and it's true. They not only talk often but they mutually admire the determination in one another. I've heard Dr. Whitt say with conviction that in his opinion there is no better coach than Nick Saban and I've heard Saban say that there is no better University Administrator than Dr. Whitt.

In today's press conference following yet another successful signing day, Nick Saban said, "Dr. Witt has always participated in our recruiting. Mal Moore always participates in our recruiting. The University community here does as fine a job as any place I’ve ever been or ever coached, in terms of John Dever and the academic people here contributing from an academic standpoint, as well as providing informative academic information about majors and spending their time on weekends to visit with players. That’s always a significant part of what we need to do."

The Coaches

Nick Saban is not just a great recruiter of players needed to fill certain roles to make a team work good. He's also an excellent recruiter of coaches. Most coaches would jump at the chance to work with Saban, but Saban is as selective in his process in hiring as he is with any other aspect of his job.

How important does Nick Saban think his assistant coaches are toward attaining total success? Today he said, "I think first of all it starts with your assistant coaches and the job that they do."

And while no assistant coach can be counted on for loyalty to one school, after all, it is simply the nature of the job to move up, you move on, but they are loyal to maintaining the standards built into the Nick Saban's process and to following his example while they're there.

Nick Saban has a great group of coaches around him and they are as well oiled a machine as the team itself.

The Players

With Nick Saban into his forth year at Alabama, Saban finds himself surrounded by players almost all of his own choosing. Those left over from the Shula ear have now totally bought into Nick Saban and the system he advocates. The ones who didn't are long gone.

Now players help Saban sell the process to the incoming players, be they recruits or incoming freshmen. They are living testimonials now of what can happen when the entire team buys in and it re-enforces the message he preaches.

Today he said, "... also our players do a fantastic job of hosting these players, developing relationships with them and helping us in recruiting."

There are players like incoming quarterback Phillip Sims, who actually helped recruit in his own way, as hard as some of the coaches. Things like that only make those killer recruiting classes a little easier to come by.

Recruiting Base

Saban said a while back, "It's easy to sell this product we have here in Tuscaloosa to recruits. It's not just about the facilities, but the tradition that comes with playing here."

Most recruits will tell you they want to play for a contender, they want national exposure, they want coaches who can get them to the next level and they want an a great college life.

Most parents are interested in good living conditions, great educational opportunities and the sense that their young men will be well looked after by people who care.

All those things are here. Alabama is geographically in a great spot to. It's right in the middle of the hotbed of talent that is the South.

The Exposure

With the recent television deals made one would have to live on the moon not to watch Alabama play on television on almost any given Saturday. The Alabama name makes it a must show game for networks and viewership has never been higher.

Add this to the magazine covers, the endless internet websites that cover the smallest details of anything Alabama does and you realize that you are truly on a world stage with this team.

And Lastly, the Perfect Season and More Accolades

Nick Saban may have lifted a crystal ball once before as the BCS Championship coach, but here at Alabama, he's finally completed his first perfect season when not even the strongest doubter could argue that this was indeed the best team in the nation.

He is now the first coach to win BCS titles at two different schools, proving that he can bring the magic anywhere. He's won not just awards but the respect of the football world, the media and even his rival fan base.

Conclusion

At a gathering of fans, Saban recently made the comment, "It's nice now that people have quit, at least for now, dropping my name with every coaching position that comes open. I think they've finally gotten the message. Where could I possibly go that could offer me anything I don't already have here?"

So to answer the initial question, I guess the answer is yes. Nick Saban truly yes. Nick Saban is a man that truly has it all and he intends to enjoy it all for several more years.