Nick Saban Shares Blunt And Honest Thoughts On Leadership Young Athletes Need To Hear: 'More Important'

Nick Saban thinks needing a lot of leaders in a locker room isn't necessarily a positive.

The Alabama football coach is gearing up for the season to start in less than three weeks, and fans are locked in hoping the Crimson Tide can win another national title under his leadership.

Given the fact the season is right around the corner, it's the perfect time for Nick Saban to share the wisdom that has made him a hit with fans.

This time he chose to address leaders and how having guys who don't need leadership is, actually, the ultimate goal.

"I think it's also important that, how many guys on the team need to be led?…You got a bunch of guys that are mature and going about it the right way, they're all setting a good example. They're all buying in. They're all doing the things they need to do. So, they don't really need necessarily have to have someone impact them every day to do the right things, and the more guys that we have that fit in that category, that's more important than the guys who are the leaders on the team," Saban told the press Tuesday when discussing leaders on the Crimson Tide and his outlook.

Young athletes should listen to Nick Saban's comments.

Saban is 100% correct with his thoughts, and as hard as that might be for some to hear, it's 100% true. A locker room loaded with players that need to be led somewhere isn't great.

Sure, it's nice to have strong leaders, but does any coach really want dozens of players who need to be motivated to do the right thing?

No. Not all. Whether it's sports, the military, business or just about anything else, the best thing any team can have is a group of people who know their roles, execute the job to perfection and do it every single day at all times. If you need to be led or you need extra motivation, then it's a sign of an issue. Yes, the fact a leader has stepped up to lead is a positive, but any smart coach would absolutely prefer that nobody need that nudge.

Saban wants guys who want to be at Alabama.

They want guys who want to be there, guys who are hungry for it and guys who leave it all on the field. Nobody wants to deal with someone who has to be motivated to do the basics. Do you think guys in Tier One military units have to be given pep talks to do their job? No, they simply do it until it's pretty much impossible to do it wrong.

A lot of young people have become soft. Again, sorry if that's tough to hear, but it's true. There used to be a time where toughness, grit and a strong spirit was considered the bare minimum. Now, it feels like that's a rarity among many younger people. Fine with me. Allows hard workers to crush most other people, but if you want to win titles on the football field, you better have a team that wakes up wanting it.

Nick Saban shares awesome message about leadership. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

That's what Nick Saban is pushing for and props to him for stating the obvious. Don't look for a group of great leaders. Look for a group of men who want it so bad they don't have to be led.