Throughout the world of college football, the name of Nick Saban is etched into history as one of the most successful coaches ever to don the cap. The veteran coach decided to call it quits on his 23-year-old career this year. Following the retirement, Saban moved towards a role as a sports analyst for ESPN. However, his impact on the sport inspires millions around the nation to come to Alabama and be as successful as the team once used to be under Saban. Yet, there’s no denying that his methods and attitude would sometimes be a bit harsh on the team, which is something that his former mentee, Josh McDaniels, elaborated upon.

On the latest episode of the ‘Games with Names show’, former Pats’ star Julian Edelman sat down with Josh McDaniels to talk about everything related to the New England Patriots and the current state of the NFL. In a later segment, Edelman highlighted that McDaniels had worked under both Bill Belichick and Nick Saban. He asked McDaniels to list the similarities and differences between the two veterans.

McDaniels had a well-structured answer and spoke about their different personalities. He said, “Nick wasn’t afraid to detail it out. And he believed in preparation, preparation, preparation. It was Relentless in that regard.” No matter the harshness and the firm hand that Nick Saban had on the reins, as McDaniels pointed out, it is evident that his coaching style landed his teams a mountain of glory and accolades. Due to this, he is remembered as one of the best coaches to ever step foot on the sidelines. With that being said, here’s a trip down memory lane to look at the first-time reaction of a former Alabama player who was scared to hear the news of Saban coming to Tuscaloosa.

Saban’s debut raised questions of anxiety and fear among the players

Nick Saban has always been more of the ‘tough’ coach than one who takes a calmer approach with his players. The video compilations, titled, “Nick Saban angry moments” exist in aplenty on YouTube, indicating how much the former coach used to lose his cool with the players. But while all his anger proved to be worthwhile with the 6 national championships he brought. Then again, it wasn’t always like that. Mike Johnson, the former offensive lineman, described the news of Saban joining Alabama as “hell” in 2007.

Johnson narrated his initial thoughts on realizing Nick Saban would be their new coach. He said, “The thing I remember everyone talking about before he got to Alabama was his fourth quarter program. That’s when we started looking around at each other like, ‘Oh boy, we better get ready to go.’ It was nine weeks of all out, brutal work. He was up front about it. He said, ‘Hey, there will be some guys that won’t make it. This is going to weed some people out and you will be better for it.” Though it didn’t result in many smiles towards Saban, it might’ve just been his military-type regime that saw almost a decade of domination from Alabama and something which we might not get to witness from a college program for a long time yet to come.