"Some guys are interested in money" - Nick Saban has a candid reaction to Alabama landing top recruits in social media age

As a college football coach, Nick Saban's name has become synonymous with excellence. Saban has been able to build this reputation over the years through consistent successful campaigns, season after season. Many would agree that the very foundation of this success is the ability to recruit the best available talents.

A lot has changed about college football recruitment since Saban started coaching decades ago. Two of the most significant changes are the proliferation of social media and the new NIL rule. The NCAA introduced a new rule that allows student-athletes to earn from NIL, and this has impacted how schools recruit.

Despite the changes, Saban and Alabama still managed to land top recruits in the country. How does he do this? Saban provided insights into his recruiting strategy in a recent press conference.

Asked how he manages to remain an elite recruiter, he said,

“I don't know. You're asking the wrong person. I mean. You know we try to be honest. We try to be upfront. We try to sell people on the fact that they can create value in their brand, that we're going to make a great investment in them here personally, academically, and athletically.

"And you know there's lot of guys that still buy into that. I think name, image, and likeness has, you know, maybe spread where guys go out because some guys are interested in how much money they can make. And that's okay.”

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Will Nick Saban win another national championship?

The biggest highlight of the 2023 season for Nick Saban and Alabama, so far, is probably securing a berth in the CFP. It wasn't a walk in the park, given where the team started from, being ranked outside the top three in the pre-season top 25. The team fell to a defeat at the hands of the Texas Longhorns early in the season, and doubts increased about its ability.

However, slowly but surely, Nick Saban's Alabama asserted itself and capped its regular season off with a win to dethrone Georgia as SEC champions. With that, the Crimson Tide are now set to face No. 1 Michigan at the Rose Bowl/CFP semi-final on New Year's Day.

Michigan is as formidable as an opponent can be, and Saban's men will need to be at their best. A win at the Rose Bowl will send them to the national championship game, where they will face either Washington or Texas.