Nick Saban Continuing to Be a Resource for Alabama Coaching Staff

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Nick Saban may not be the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide any more, but his presence is still active in the facilities.

Saban still has an office at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and even though he’s out of the coaching game, you can’t take the coach out of the man.

The second that Alabama’s defensive coordinator Kane Wommack arrived in Tuscaloosa, he made it a point to learn from the legend himself. And over the offseason, Wommack kept in contact with Saban often.

“In the offseason, coach Saban and I talk a lot, and that was one thing he brought up, watching us on third downs,” Wommack said. “And I thought he had some really good points of having one or two more variations of things that we can do to be able to complement some of the stuff that we’re already doing.”

During his two seasons as Alabama's defensive coordinator, Wommack has installed a zone-heavy defense – something that has worked out for him well.

However, as Wommack alluded to, third downs were a weakness for the Crimson Tide last season, with opponents converting 38.7% of the time – good enough for 10th in the SEC.

Saban, a defensive guru, has never been a fan of zone coverage, especially when playing against top-tiered quarterbacks. Which is why he suggested switching to press coverage on certain occasions. 

"Here's my deal – for 50 years I coached the secondary," he said during SEC Media Days. "I went to a 1-on-1 every day in practice. When we played off coverage, the offensive guys caught 90% of the balls. When we played up on them and wouldn't let them come off the line – the best athletes on the team – they completed 50% of the balls. Just on that sort of analysis, I said we're not gonna let these people run off the line of scrimmage."

Wommack has explained that his preference for zone coverage is simple: The offense has to keep snapping the ball.

But the third down struggles that Saban pointed towards has made Wommack rethink a small, but important part of his strategy.

“You've got to continue to mix those things," he told reporters on Tuesday. “Being in press and having those long DBs gives us the option to do some of those things from a coverage standpoint within the first five yards. So, I'm excited about what they're doing. I think [DB coach] Mo Linguist is phenomenal in the fundamentals that he's teaching with those guys, and they all seem to be taking the right steps."

When one of the greatest defensive minds in college football is offering his insight, it makes sense to listen.

Wommack appears to be doing exactly that, hoping Saban's advice can help take Alabama's defense to another level in 2026.

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