What ESPN’s new Nick Saban documentary gets right, wrong and never expected to show
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There are plenty of ways to describe Nick Saban: football coach to the casual sports fan; an expletive of choice to some of the players and reporters who crossed his path; a liar, if you ask anyone associated with the Miami Dolphins; the executioner of SEC coaching careers; and, for many college football fans, the greatest coach of all time.
Three years after stepping away from the sideline, Saban remains a constant presence on television whenever college football is being discussed. Now, he's getting the documentary treatment.
ESPN's six-part series "Saban" premieres Thursday, Oct. 8 and chronicles the life and career of the seven-time national champion.
The remaining five episodes will air weekly through Nov. 5, though all six episodes will be available on the ESPN app beginning with the premiere.
Nearly every corner of Saban’s life and career is represented in the documentary. Interview subjects include former assistants Steve Sarkisian, Kirby Smart and Lane Kiffin, all now leading SEC programs of their own, along with former quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts. And, of course, there’s the most influential figure in Saban’s life: his wife, "Miss Terry." In all, nearly 90 people were interviewed for the project, which began production in the spring of 2024.
Like many sports documentaries of the past decade, "Saban" borrows from the storytelling approach popularized by "The Last Dance", moving back and forth through time rather than following a strictly chronological path. Director Russell Dinallo said the structure was intentional, allowing viewers to experience key moments as they unfolded while providing the context needed to understand their significance.
Saban participated in seven sit-down interviews during the two-year production, while filmmakers captured roughly 20 hours of footage featuring him alone.
"I think that’s part of the reason every one of his moves was so scrutinized is because it changes the fortunes of two of these programs," Dinallo told USA TODAY Sports. "Ultimately, seeing that and experiencing that, we’re okay. We got to find a way to represent this, and do it in a way where the hardcore fan says, 'Okay, we got it right,' but also the novice is like, 'Oh my God, what a crazy world!'"
With nearly six hours of runtime, Dinallo allows the story room to breathe. The series frequently steps aside and lets Saban, who turns 75 later this month, explain events in his own words, offering viewers a direct look into the thought process that shaped one of the most successful coaching careers in sports history.
Casual football fans may find the pacing deliberate. The series is light on the dramatic twists and manufactured tension that drive many modern sports documentaries, and it doesn't truly find its footing until Saban begins recounting what awaited him in Baton Rouge after taking the LSU job in late 1999.
There's nothing inherently wrong with profiling a well-known figure, but "Saban" occasionally struggles to move beyond its subject's familiar public persona. At times, Saban sounds less like the centerpiece of a documentary and more like he's conducting a news conference, leaning on well-worn coaching clichés or attempting to make points only tangentially related to the story being told.
Whatever viewers think of Saban today, whether it's his role as a television analyst or his advocacy for the controversial Protect College Sports Act making its way through Congress, the results of his coaching career are indisputable. His demanding, my-way-or-the-highway approach produced victories, championships and widespread admiration, while helping launch the careers of countless players who went on to the NFL. Some of the documentary's strongest moments come from those former players, whose praise for their coach is often heartfelt and revealing. Equally compelling are the glimpses of Saban away from football, particularly when he speaks about his wife.
One of the documentary's most fascinating elements is its use of previously unseen footage. From the moment Saban stepped off a private plane in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 3, 2007, after accepting Alabama's head coaching job following an underwhelming stint with the Miami Dolphins, cameras followed nearly his every move.
Most of that footage was never intended for public release unless Saban approved it. He finally did so for this project, resulting in several revealing scenes. Among them is footage from the 2018 national championship game against Georgia, when Alabama trailed 13-0 at halftime and Saban made the bold decision to bench Hurts in favor of Tagovailoa. Saban has said he didn't realize he was being filmed during his conversation with Tagovailoa before the quarterback entered the game and eventually threw the title-clinching touchdown pass in overtime.
"Saban" is unlikely to change anyone's opinion of its subject, especially among Auburn fans. What it does offer is a nuanced look at a complicated figure, showcasing the highs, lows and contradictions of one of the greatest football minds the sport has ever produced.
How to watch 'Saban': When does ESPN documentary air?
ESPN's six-part series "Saban" premieres 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8.
The remaining five episodes will air weekly through Nov. 5, though all six episodes will be available on the ESPN app beginning with the premiere.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What ESPN’s new Nick Saban documentary gets right, wrong and never expected to show
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