Epic Nick Saban stories, as told by the Alabama players who’d know

Saban spent countless hours with them at practice, in the facility, in transit to games, on the field and in their living rooms when recruiting them. That has translated to all kinds of memories and stories. Each player who has donned the Crimson uniform has some. There won’t be any more of those memories added after the 2023 season, though, after Saban announced his retirement Wednesday.

Sure, winning six national championships alongside Saban created plenty of memorable moments, but the ones that often stick with players the most happened in smaller venues on a one-on-one level.

Here are some memories former Crimson Tide players shared with The Tuscaloosa News from their time playing for Saban.

Bradley Bozeman, offensive lineman (2013-17)

Saban stopped practice. He didn’t understand why JK Scott wasn’t punting.

Said Bradley: ‘He goes, ‘JK what’s going on?’

Scott explained his knee was a little sore and wasn’t going to be able to punt.

‘(Saban) takes a second, looks around,’ Bozeman said, ‘and he goes, ‘JK, my (behind) hurts every day and I still wipe the (expletive).’

The team cracked up, laughing. As for Saban? ‘I think he chuckled a little bit afterward,’ Bozeman said, ‘but in the moment, he was pretty serious.’

Scott, who Bozeman said is quieter, kept his response short and sweet. ‘Yes sir,’ he said to Saban. And just like that, Scott was off to punt.

‘It’s always been one of my favorite stories,’ Bozeman said.

Ross Pierschbacher, offensive lineman (2014-18)

Saban bounced his leg, kept his arms crossed and didn’t touch the food as he sat in the home in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

He had flown to the Midwestern city with offensive line coach Mario Cristobal in January 2014 to make an in-home visit to see Pierschbacher. A couple of the lineman’s high school coaches sat in the room, talking with the two Alabama coaches.

‘They didn’t leave super early, but I know they had to run so they didn’t get caught in good ole Cedar Falls, Iowa,’ Pierschbacher said.

A snow storm had hit.

Saban didn’t want to get caught in the blizzard, but he wanted to visit Pierschbacher nonetheless right before signing day. Saban had no interest in the chicken parmesan, lasagna or breadsticks Pierschbacher had catered. All he wanted to do was continue building a relationship with a commit who could help his offensive line.

“We had a good spread,’ Pierschbacher said. ‘Think I had a couple servings and some for Coach Saban.”

Dre Kirkpatrick, cornerback (2009-11)

Saban pressed the button on his desk, then the door to his office closed.

‘I was like, ‘Whoa,’ Kirkpatrick said. ‘What’s going on with this?”

Kirkpatrick was scared enough, being summoned to Saban’s office. The door closing with the push of a button didn’t help.

‘I head about him having a temper and going off,’ Kirkpatrick said. ‘I had never experienced it. Then that day, he did. The freshman cornerback had just drawn Saban’s ire outside. The coach had been watching from his office balcony as Kirkpatrick faced receiver Julio Jones in a one-on-one matchup during a 7-on-7 period, Kirkpatrick said. The defensive back knocked down the ball. Then Saban stepped out onto the balcony and cussed Kirkpatrick out.

‘We don’t practice like that,’ Saban yelled.

Soon, Saban called him to his office, and the cornerback ended up being glad he did. The two had a heart-to-heart. Saban helped bring attention to the way Kirkpatrick was acting, thinking and moving. He also showed Kirkpatrick a more subtle, fun side of himself.

‘I didn’t really know who he was as a person,’ said Kirkpatrick, who was relatively new to the program. ‘I only really knew who he was as a coach. He let his hair down, he let me inside (his head) a little bit, told me a couple stories about him, and it was a touching moment.’

Eryk Anders, linebacker (2006-09)

Anders couldn’t remember the year, but he certainly remembered the interaction Saban had with one of the defensive backs.

One day at practice, Saban was trying to correct the defensive back. Then the player ran off and said, ‘I got it.’ Big mistake.

Said Anders: ‘(Saban) just went on for the rest of practice, yelling at him, cussing at him, ‘You got it? You don’t got it.’ Not like berating but doing it in a serious, playful way.’

Anders noted how Saban would yell, scream and cuss in practice but never berate.

‘He definitely got his point across,’ Anders said.

Ryan Kelly, offensive lineman (2011-15)

The video call with Saban was different.

All the other coaches had been making promises to Kelly, many they couldn’t back up. He had offers from the likes of Florida, Florida State, Kentucky and more, and all the schools that showed interest in him told him things like he would start for four years and that he would go to the NFL. Saban didn’t do that during their conversation in 2010 while Kelly was a recruit out of West Chester, Ohio.

Saban didn’t offer Kelly anything. All he promised: An opportunity to make the most of it. Saban told Kelly he would give him all the resources he needed to be successful at Alabama. Past that, it was up to Kelly.

‘Looking back on it now, that was the coolest thing ever,’ Kelly said. ‘Everything else kind of felt sleezy. For whatever reason, in that moment, him saying those words to me, I always felt like that was the biggest thing and the reason I went there.’

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men’s basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.