“Excellence has a price and it doesn't come easy” - Nick Saban sends clear message for Alabama football players

Alabama coach Nick Saban went on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday to discuss the Crimson Tide's preparation for the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal and their recruiting efforts.

The Tuscaloosa school is set to face the Michigan Wolverines in January for a chance to play in the national championship final. While No. 4 Alabama (12-1) qualified in a polarizing manner, going over undefeated Florida State (13-0), few people can say that Nick Saban's team is not one to be feared.

Speaking of his experience playing in a Super Bowl at a young age, McAfee asked how Saban manages to keep focus over the holidays for such a momentous task. The coach put it as follows:

"Excellence has a price and it doesn't come easy.. you gotta pay for it up front too."

Saban later addressed the concerns regarding the recruiting period and added:

“I think every college coach would tell you, this 2-week period where you’re trying to get ready for a game, where you’re trying to finish recruiting, where you’ve got signing day coming up, is a really difficult time to manage in terms of where are you going to invest the most time."

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Nick Saban's thoughts on their 2024 recruiting class

Saban also took the opportunity to explain how he felt about the school's recruiting efforts so far.

"We’re really pleased with the guys we’ve got, they’re the right kind of people, they’re the right kind of guys," Saban said. "Hopefully, we can add some more good players down the road, and we’ll just keep working on it.”

Alabama managed to get signed letters of intent from a couple of five-star recruits, quarterback Julian Sayin and center-back Jaylen Mbakwe. They also managed to get 13 four-star recruits, signaling a strong class.