Nick Saban Says 'I'm One Of You Now', While Alabama Certainly Didn't Worry About The Field Before Spring Game

A Spring football game without Nick Saban will take some time to get used to for Alabama fans, but it doesn't mean the former head coach isn't hanging around Tuscaloosa to stay involved in the program. 

On Saturday, as Kalen DeBoer prepared for his first spring game as the head coach for Alabama, it was the first glance at what fans can expect in the years to come, at least from a scheme standpoint. But, this also presented an opportunity for him to start carving out his own name in Tuscaloosa. 

As for how Nick Saban will handle watching the game from a suite, taking notes or wanting to be on the field isn't his main concern. 

"My biggest concern is being with my head coach, Ms. Terry. I’ve never had to watch a game with her, so I’m a little concerned," Nick Saban said on the field prior to the game. 

I would imagine one of the aspects of the football program that he's not hands-on with is how the field would look once his squad ran out of the tunnel on Saturday. Unfortunately, i think someone forgot to water the field, outside a new patch of turf that ran down the middle of the field. 

I don't know what the gameplan was for this spring game, but making sure the field looked pristine was not on the checklist for Bama this weekend. 

Nick Saban Introduces New ‘Walk Of Fame’ Captains At Denny Chimes

He might be showing up on your television from the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, or pictures from his life of retirement, but Nick Saban is still a massive part of the Alabama football program. 

This was on-display Saturday afternoon as he introduced the new members of the ‘Walk Of Fame’ at Denny Chimes, where three captains from the 2023 team will be forever honored. Jalen Milroe, Malachi Moore and Dallas Turner were honored in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, with Kalen DeBoer in attendance before the game. 

"This is the first time I've got to address a group that I'm not the coach, I'm one of you. I'm a fan now.," Nick Saban told the crowd. "This is a great tradition that we have with the captains of the team and a legacy that withstands the test of time. This last year's team is probably one of the groups I'm most proud of and the progress that they made. The who LANK idea, not starting out so well, but everyone improved. 

As for his time at Alabama, it all started with his first A-Day game in Tuscaloosa, where more than 95,000 people wanted to get their first glance of the Nick Saban era, which is something he looks back on and contributes to being a catalyst for the program. 

"For seventeen years of your support and made the program what it is. When we stepped on this campus seventeen years ago and there were 95,000 people at the A-Day game, that set the tone for what Alabama was going to become, what this program was going to become and it was all because of you being a part of the team and the support you gave us."

He might not be the head coach any longer, but Nick Saban has made sure not to run off into the sunset while Kalen DeBoer tries to keep the Bama train rolling. 

Get ready for those ‘What Would Saban Do’ questions from Alabama fans, because they're coming.