What’s Going On With Nick Saban?

If you have been keeping up with NIL news, you may have heard about how Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban is under fire for statements he has made. Saban has made comments implying football recruits have chosen schools due to the promise of financial compensation through NIL deals, stating that “[Texas] A&M bought every player on their team” when asked about A&M’s number 1 ranked recruiting class.

Unhappy with Saban’s comments, Texas A&M’s head coach Jimbo Fisher immediately shot down allegations stating that, of the 11 guys they have in place that came early to A&M, only one guy has an NIL deal. This refutes previous news that A&M donors had spent between $25 and $30 million on NIL deals for recruits.

When Travis Hunter, a former Florida State commit, flipped his commitment to Jackson State University, Saban also stated that JSU “paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school,” and that “nobody did anything about it.”

Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders also had words for Saban regarding his statements about Travis Hunter, taking to Twitter to denounce the claims and went on to say that Saban “took a left when he should’ve stayed right.” In addition, according to Andscape, Hunter reportedly has two NIL deals and two pending worth less than $250,000. While that is a great deal of money, it is not the magnitude that Saban implied.

Although Nick Saban has since apologized for his accusations, it is clear that the world of NIL is becoming increasingly hostile surrounding the question of whether recruits are being swayed solely by the promise of compensation. Nick Saban has the platform that gives his words much influence, and statements such as his give schools such as Texas A&M and Jackson State a bad look.

Since this has been the first real season of recruiting since the ability for student-athletes to make money off their name, image, and likeness, it will be important to take note of the trends that come about regarding the influence of NIL deals while collegiate athletes are choosing their place of play. While most of us may have our opinions on the impact of NIL on recruiting, it is clear that people like Nick Saban are starting to outwardly publicize these grievances.

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