Nobody prepares college football players for the NFL like Nick Saban. On Monday, the Miami Dolphins quarterback Your Tagovailoa explained what makes his former coach so special in that area.
Tagovailoa played for Saban from 2017 to 2019 and has been the starting defender for Crimson Tide for the past two seasons. He joined ESPN’s ‘Greeny’ on Monday and explained what it was like to play for the legendary Alabama coach.
In a response that may surprise some people, Tagovailoa said the Alabama coach was not always as intense as he appears on Saturday. When the team is on the pitch – in practice or in games – he expects his players to play at the highest level. Still, it is clear that he cares a lot about his players.
“I think being able to play for someone like coach Saban gives you two teams,” said Tagovailoa. “It gives you someone who is very hard on you. Someone who expects the best from you. Then, on the other side, you find someone who is very attentive. Very loving to his players. That was Coach Saban. In the field, he was very tough. He expected the best from his players. He expected the best from you. “
Off the field, Saban is a little less intimidating, according to Tagovailoa. The young Dolphins signal caller believes that playing for Saban helped him learn which attitude was appropriate for different situations in the NFL.
“Off the field, he knew how to turn it off. It was like he was no longer a coach, ”said Tagovailoa. “He’s just someone who wanted to be there to help his guys in any way, shape or form he could. I think having someone like that helped me in the NFL because you deal with guys with different personalities. You deal with guys who are ‘hoo-rah’ who like to get in your ass. You also deal with guys where you need to help them get the best out of them. I think that’s how he helped me ”.
Successor of Tagovailoa in Tuscaloosa, Mac Jones, also has a lot of praise for Saban. Jones was recently asked about Saban being the best coach in college football history. It didn’t take Joens much time to answer.
“Come on, man. Of course he is (laughs),” said Jones. “How could he not be? He does it the right way. He recruits well, but most importantly, he develops great players and young people. I am so blessed that he gave me the chance to come here with all my teammates. I I wouldn’t trade it for anything. He’s the greatest to ever do that. He’ll be the greatest for a long time. “