Alabama head coach Nick Saban says 2021 was a rebuilding season for his team despite going 13-2 and winning the SEC. Uh oh!
“Last year, we had kind of a rebuilding year,” Saban said Thursday morning while appearing on the ‘McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning’ show.
Yes, the seven-time national championship winner who had a first-year starting quarterback win the Heisman and the best defensive player in the country proclaimed a 13-2 campaign as “rebuilding.”
Good luck everyone else!
The Crimson Tide start this season at home against Utah State, instead of at a neutral site against a top-25 opponent like they usually do.
However, a Week 2 date in Austin with the Texas Longhorns and six other foes (all in the SEC) are preseason top-25. Yet, with Bama having five starters on offense and seven on defense back from last year’s noticeably young roster, this team somehow feels even better than the team that finished runners-up to the Georgia Bulldogs.
Bryce Young should have a better offensive line in front of him and a plethora of talented running backs in the stable. Additions through the transfer portal in running back Jahmyr Gibbs, wideouts Jermaine Burton and Tyler Harrell, lead me to believe that despite losing star wideouts, the Tide offense will still be lethal.
The defense is even scarier!
Will Anderson Jr. is the future first overall pick, Eli Ricks joins an already experienced secondary after transferring in from LSU, and many were surprised veterans Henry To’o To’o and Jordan Battle returned for another season after leading the way in ’21.
Rising Tide
Just when you think the dynasty is coming to an end, Saban pulls out a quote like this. A recruiting class bound to contribute right away adds depth on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, veterans and starters from seasons past remain.
Saban didn’t see his offensive and defensive coordinators leave this offseason either. How is it that this team is looking better heading into the fall than they were last year?
Saban keeps producing. The Tide keeps rolling (and rising).
The rest of college football is probably tired of them reigning supreme, but things don’t seem to be changing!