CJ Dippre sheds light on Nick Saban's "fiery" coaching style at Alabama

The legacy of Nick Saban is unmatched. His discipline and work ethic influenced many, including players who strived to be part of his program. One of the biggest reasons why Alabama developed into a dynasty is because of Saban's efforts to foster a different culture in Tuscaloosa.

Players like CJ Dippre couldn't stop raving about their legendary coach and his prominence in the program. The tight end explained how Saban's fierce attitude at practice helped him and other players bring the best out of them.

On Thursday, Dippre appeared on the ‘"Beat Everyone" podcast hosted by AL.com. He spoke about his tenure at Alabama and Saban's influence on his career. He claimed that Saban was one of the reasons why he transferred from Maryland and that he is fortunate to have been coached by him at least for one year.

“I just I wanted to play for him, and after seeing him, talking to him, meeting him in person, that's what I wanted to play for," Dippre said (8:18). "So just being able to have that one year under him, you know, I meant everything. It was awesome.

“Just seeing how fiery he comes at practice every day, not necessarily myself, getting yelled at. You know, I've been yelled at here, there, but you know, I'm, you know, I go do my job, do the right thing, stay out of trouble. Be on time. Don't miss anything. So when you're like that, there's no need to worry. Like, you're not going to get yelled at or anything."

Dippre also discussed how Saban showed his passion for the game during practices.

"He going to yell at me to perfect something, even if I'm doing some good, perfect something," Dippre said. "But like, that's why you want to play for him. You want to be as close to perfection as he could. So, you know, just seeing the fire he brought every day, and, you know, still yelling at the top guys or our starters. It's just like, you know how much he cares for the sport and the team.”

NIL potentially influenced Nick Saban to step down

It was quite abrupt when Nick Saban announced his retirement in 2024. It was unexpected, especially since Alabama was coming off a successful season with a playoff appearance.

Saban opened up last year about his decision. He said that players getting passionate about NIL and willing to transfer for money instead of standing up to their commitments hurt him the most.

The changing college football landscape slowly impacted programs. As legendary quarterback Tom Brady said, in the modern era, it's more about playing for the "teams" in college and not "programs" anymore. After 17 years at Tuscaloosa with a 206-29 record, Saban left the Crimson Tide on Jan. 10, 2024.