Nick Saban was and is still a brand for college football. He made such a legacy in his name that anyone would think twice before taking up the charge next. Not because they didn’t want to jump at the golden chance of coaching a program as supreme as Alabama Crimson Tide, but because they feared losing the standard game to their predecessor.

Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer overcame the shilly-shallying and came up to the forefront of a seasoned team. He came, he led, and faced a lot of questions with just a witty yet humble smirk. Last week with the match against Georgia, he braced up for the biggest test of his brief tenure as the Bama’s coach and came out fortunate with a thrilling 41-34 win. However, elsewhere on the earth, Nick Saban, the former Bama’s coach, is busy criticizing his friend Coach Prime’s decision to restart Colorado practice after a Baylor win.

Nick Saban got a rub from NFL legends for his recent chiding against Coach Prime

Sanders, who became synonymous with Coach Prime, came down from a jet at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport near Boulder to take over the Colorado program last year and, ever since, found all the eyes on him and his highly scrutinized coaching career. In a breathtaking season opener, the new coach proved his mettle, leading his team to a 3-0 after a dominant win over TCU. He carried the momentum up to two consecutive games afterwards. He also upgraded the talents panel, taking a plethora of top-notch players from December’s transfer portal. While you can blame him for the mistakes he made regarding an offensive line experiment and some other coaching blunders in his rookie years, the glorious start was purely wholesome, especially when we compare it with another legend in question, Nick Saban.

While we can’t really call Saban’s debut year a failure, it is a lackluster start for one of the most successful coaches in the CFB history. Connecting it with his recent Deion Sanders criticism recent edition of Nightcap, legend Shannon Sharpe noted, ”They went one and twelve and you all expect the man to go all in there and then go to the damn Rose Bowl or damn Peach Bowl. His first year in the after team went one and twelve. Where have they ever done that? They know he…all hype. I mean, Coach Saban didn’t win any 12 games in his first year.

DeBoer, on the other hand, smashed Saban’s first game (52-6) record against Western Carolina with his more pristine first win (63-0) over Western Kentucky. After the Bama’s statement win against the top dog, Georgia solidified the beginning of the DeBoer era. However, while the comparison between two timeless coaches of the Bama will, whatsoever, continue, the duo had some fun exchanges diluting the tension.

Nick Saban had a hilarious reaction listening to Kalen DeBoer’s first locker room experience 

Saban already showcased his faith in his successor, saying he really believes in what DeBoer brings to the table for the new-age Alabama and that he’s the very few guy who could be trusted with the responsibility for the same. The seven-time national championship-winning coach also acknowledged the toil DeBoer had to go with when he took the chair following the quintessential history Saban has made. The pressure of expectation was overbearing, but Saban handled it with grace. When, for the first time after the transition, the former and the current coach met in Tuscaloosa, DeBoer continued the narrative by explaining how he felt when he stepped into the Bama’s dressing room on the first day.

DeBoer noted how players were full of mixed emotions and were talking a lot with each other and how he just tried to connect with their mindset quietly. Saban quickly stole the conversation with a hilarious take. “But the real advantage you had was that they were really tired of my a**.”

The hustle between the two legends will continue on the gossip spree, but the sportsmanship remains at the top. Coming to the Colorado coach, he is exactly where he needs to be, regardless of the flakes.

If you want to know about other nitty-gritty of college football, you can refer to our ES Think Tank interview with Doug Sanders, founder of Sanders Sports and Entertainment.