Nick Saban seemingly has a blunt message towards Deion Sanders’ dicey approach to NIL: “Every coach should be looking forward and not backward”

Saban green lit the influence of NIL in college football and advised coaches to accept and make positive use of it.

Nick Saban seemingly has a blunt message towards Deion Sanders’ dicey approach to NIL: “Every coach should be looking forward and not backward”

Former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban spoke on NIL and the use of Transfer Portal in college football (Image via IMAGO)

Despite stepping away from football, Nick Saban continues to remain a vocal and influential part of it. The former Alabama head coach occasionally shares his views and opinions on improving the college game. 

On Thursday evening, Saban sat in a chair at Montgomery’s Renaissance Hotel for a brief meeting with reporters. He was invited to be one of the chief speakers at this year’s Jimmy Rane Charity Golf Tournament. Naturally, the media had to ask a few questions about his views on the current college football scenario.

One of the questions that many wanted answered was Saban’s opinion on NIL, the use of the transfer portal, and its effect on college programs. Since his early days as a coach back in the ’70s, Saban has seen several changes in the game. He advised the current and future football coaches to adapt to the constant change and make decisions accordingly.

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Every coach should be looking forward and not backward in terms of 'we've always done it this way.' Well, you can't do it that way anymore. Being adaptable to the circumstances you are in so that you have a chance to be functionally successful with the opposition who are potentially adapting is crucial.
Nick Saban said

The biggest change in college football in the last 10 to 15 years has been the introduction of NIL and the usage of the transfer portal to recruit players. 

NIL deals allowed college athletes to earn while playing football at UNI. As a result, they received the exposure of feeling like a professional NFL player. Some consider this to have a negative effect on the players. They argued that it diverts their attention from focusing on the game. 

Nick Saban wants to do away with the frequent lawsuits popping up in the college football scene

The 72-year-old did not want to talk much about football, but after constant egging from the reporters, he had no other choice. Besides giving his opinion on the NIL, he also highlighted the pile of lawsuits that the NCAA can’t seem to get rid of.

Nick Saban seemingly has a blunt message towards Deion Sanders’ dicey approach to NIL: "Every coach should be looking forward and not backward"
Nick Saban (Image via IMAGO)
The No. 1 thing we need to do in college football is, the first thing we’ve got to do is address all the lawsuits because the lawsuits may break the NCAA and it may break college football, so that should be the first order of business.
Nick Saban said

Earlier in May, Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia jointly filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, alleging that the governing body violated U.S. antitrust law. It prohibits students who are going through their recruitment process from negotiating deals with third parties, like NIL collectives.

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