There is no harm in calling Nick Saban the gentle version of a dictator of college football. I mean, it’s a low-key audacity to give nicknames to the legendary coach who has six national championships for the Tide to his name, ran up a catalog of accomplishments, set a new gospel of hard work and discipline throughout the mix, and achieved ethereal supremacy. However, it’s important to remember that Coach Saban is more than just the GOAT of coaching. He becomes a headline every time he says something about life ideals or anything regular. It’s just his oddly law-abiding way of seeing and living life.

There can be no debate that the pocket faced with a controlled grin carrying a set of predetermined rules suits the former Alabama coach the best. However, it can sometimes be more burdensome than one might anticipate, particularly for the players under his guidance. Matt Mauck, former LSU QB, makes a prime case.

Nick Saban’s workaholism to the point of exhaustion exposed by former LSU star

If you think Nick Saban is all about Alabama, then it might be a partial truth. The prolonged 17 years of excellence at Tuscaloosa didn’t come overnight in Saban’s career. Saban coached LSU from 2000 to 2004 and left for the NFL to coach the Dolphins. His days with the pro league have been subject to debate for various reasons, and it was not as great as his name stands for. He returned to college football in 2007 with a lot of wisdom and firsthand experience from his previous two ventures and led Alabama to its first national championship since 1992. The rest is a beguiling history. However, except from a coaching performance point of view (which kept on getting honed), Saban has been the same zenith of perfection all along.

Former LSU quarterback Matt Mauck, who had been a part of the Tigers national title-winning squad of 2003, shared a stunning story that will reaffirm your perception of the quintessential head coach of Alabama. The coach phenom doesn’t know how to take a break even after conquering the world. ”We get done and win the national game… I come into the locker room afterward, cutting tape off my ankles, and the equipment guy taps me on the shoulder and says, ‘Hey, Coach Saban wants to talk to you,’’ Mauck said.

Well, if you don’t remember the game, let us recap it for you. The Tigers played the Oklahoma Sooners in the Sugar Bowl (the host of the BCS Championship game in 2003). Nick Saban’s team defeated the Sooners 21-14 in a tough, physical game where the LSU defense restricted the Oklahoma offense led by 2003 Heisman-winning QB Jason White. Naturally, if you have just won the natty (LSU’s first since 1958), you’d want to celebrate for a moment.

However, celebrations were the last thing on Coach Saban’s mind. “We walk in, and he [Saban] closes the door,” Mauck added. “He’s halfway looking at us, taking his shoes off, and he goes, ‘Hey, I need to know what you guys are doing next year.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ Mauck spilled the bean of what a tenure under the ever-watchful eyes of coach Saban really tastes like.

Mauck had also been a part of Michigan State (recruited by Saban) before he reunited with him at LSU. When Mauck was done with baseball, he called Saban’s assistant with a lot of doubts in his mind to seek a spot at LSU. But to his surprise, the coach called him back in 10 minutes and said he loves the multi-sport athlete and it’s never a problem. It’s just the other side of coach Saban for you!

The Tigers went 9-3 the next season, dismissing Saban’s dream of two Natty in two years in a row. Saban left for the NFL shortly afterward, something he regrets to date.

Nick Saban frets about his LSU decision two decades back 

Saban’s brief NFL era didn’t treat him very well. People massively judged him for his controlling nature, and his constant disparity with the players often clouded a collective outcome. Maybe, just maybe, in between one of those dropping moments, coach Saban realized going for the NFL, more specifically leaving LSU, was a blunder in his career.

When asked by Ryan Clark (on his podcast The Pivot) about a juncture in his career he thought he could have done otherwise, Saban mentioned his decision to depart from the Tigers for Miami. ”Not because we didn’t have success in Miami—I enjoyed coaching there,” Saban explained. “But I found out in that experience that I like coaching in college better because you could develop players personally, academically, athletically, and all that, a little more than in pro ball.”

The learning turned out to be pivotal for the coach, as he didn’t let the history repeat with his Alabama stint onwards. He stuck there at Tuscaloosa through thick and thin for 17 seasons and set a benchmark of 201 victories and six national championships, cementing an unprecedented legacy.

This is Nick Saban for you! You can criticize him over his tight demeanor and ferocious work ethic, but you can’t ignore what you get in return.