Alabama coach Nick Saban: “I don’t yell at my assistants very much at all…”

By Jan 7, 2018, 2:28 PM EST
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ATLANTA — It’s the eve of the national title game and both Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart met with the media one last time on Sunday morning before squaring off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Understandably one of the bigger storylines in the lead up to the game has been the whole dynamic of a former assistant taking on one of the game’s most successful coaches ever. While the meeting between Saban and Smart on Sunday was mostly a photo opportunity next to the CFP trophy, the pair did take a few final questions about the upcoming game and, naturally, their relationship.

As the press conference was winding down, one reporter brought up the topic of the Crimson Tide head coach yelling at his assistants on the sideline during games. The topic is often the delight of social media when it happens and is caught on camera but it sounds like somebody has a convenient blind spot in this area based on the answer he gave.

“I don’t yell at my assistants very much at all, I don’t think,” said Saban. “But there are occasions where you get upset with, whether it’s a circumstance in the game or a situation in the game, or maybe you did something that’s sort of out of the plan, and you get a little upset about it.”

Well, about that…

If there is any good news, it seems like both agreed that Smart got the brunt of Saban’s wrath far less than other prominent assistants when the two were in Tuscaloosa together.

“I don’t really ever recall getting really upset at Kirby,” added Saban. “I’m sure that he can remember a few times that I got on him unjustifiably, and maybe a couple times where maybe it was justified, I don’t know. But look, it’s always about trying to make somebody better and make them understand. I think we play a very emotional game sometimes, so I never want to get angry, and I never want to be mad, and I never want to show disappointment in a player or a coach.”

Something says FAU head coach Lane Kiffin is having a good chuckle over Saban’s answers on this subject.

Utah State player upgraded to fair condition after collapse

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 1:50 AM EDT
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Utah State redshirt freshman wide receiver Josh Davis is in fair condition on Friday, one day after collapsing at spring football practice following sudden cardiac arrest, the university announced.

Davis, initially was listed in critical condition, was breathing on his own. He is in the intensive-care unit at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah.

Davis’ parents arrived in Utah on Thursday evening.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Davis, who is from Carlsbad, California, collapsed at Merlin Olsen Field and was immediately treated by the training staff, the university said. He was taken to Logan Regional Hospital.

The university said Davis was stabilized in the Logan hospital before being moved to Ogden.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.