For two decades Nick Saban ruled over College Football with an iron fist. His legacy is not only as a seven-time national championship winner but also as a fierce individual who took no prisoners when it came to coaching. Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin had the first-hand experience of being chewed out by Saban when he worked with him as the offensive coordinator at Alabama.

During the fall camp of 2016, the team was in a drill, pitting the starting offensive players vs. the starters on defense. Kiffin was warned by other coaches not to go too hard on Saban’s defense, but he had other ideas. “I’d come from the Pete Carroll camp. I wasn’t wired that way, to let the defense win,” Kiffin recalled. The offense ran rings around Saban’s defense and he wasn’t pleased about it.

Kiffin observed the anger on Saban’s face and changed the play in the next practice, but the damage was done. In the staff meeting afterward, Saban asked everyone except for Kiffin to clear the room and the Ole Miss HC said, “I have to sit there, and he is screaming at me, standing over me screaming as I’m sitting in my chair.” This was one of the many “a** chewings” Kiffin received three seasons under Saban. There are many such stories from other coaches and this former Crimson Tide QB AJ McCarron shared an anecdote from his time at Bama which exemplifies the sheer reverence Saban commanded.

The talent that was developed wasn’t just limited to the players. Nick Saban nurtured his subordinates, too. Even after his retirement, his fingerprints remain all around CFB through his successful coordinators. Among the usual suspects such as Kirby Smart and Steve Sarkisian, there is a former NFL star. Former Crimson Tide QB AJ McCarron shared an anecdote from his time at Bama, which exemplifies the sheer reverence Saban commanded.

McCarron recalled the training ground happenings when he was at Alabama on the McCready and Siskey podcast, co-hosted by former Alabama coach Tyler Siskey. “Me and Coach [Saban] would go at each other. It was always respectful, we always, always respected the h—l out of each other,” said a reminiscent AJ. “But there was one time my senior year, [Doug] Nussmeier and Siskey will know this. All of my OCs were terrified of Saban. They never wanted to p–s him off…We would turn in our offensive play script before practise started. So the defense could script their plays!” McCarron proceeded to detail how this unassuming day of training took a turn.

“So it’s one of those days…we had been getting our a-s whooped because they’re scheming up every play we have. [Then,] it goes into the last period. It’s a move-the-ba-l period. Nuss calls a play. We get demolished on a passing scheme, and the next play I’m like ‘Screw this.’ So I saw the blitz coming [and] I change protection. Hit for an explosive play. Saban starts losing his mind. Like, ‘Gosh damn it, AJ. It’s not about you. What the f—k are you doing? Just run the play that’s called.’ Nuss came into the huddle and was like ‘AJ, please, God, just run the play that I called. Don’t change the play, okay. Please. I always joked around and stirred s—t up,” said AJ.

Doug Nussmeier, the father of LSU signal-caller Garrett, was part of Saban’s staff from 2012 to 2013 as the OC and quarterbacks coach. During his stint, AJ McCarron broke the school record for touchdowns (39) en route to a national championship. This incident was yet another example of why Saban was highly respected and equally feared as a head coach.

In fact, James Franklin, once the Vanderbilts’ head coach referred to Saban as “Nicky Satan” and Tim Davis, who worked under Saban at the Miami Dolphins, called Saban “the devil himself” while trying to compare his old boss to his new boss, Will Muscham at Florida in 2013.

For some reason, we assume, the name stuck for quite a while and Saban addressed his feelings about it in an interview with GQ in 2013. “I think I’m pretty misunderstood, because I’m not just about football. I’m kind of portrayed as this one-dimensional person who—this is everything to me.” He gestures toward the football building around him. “I almost feel like I’m not that way at all,” he said.

Saban’s stout and strict personality was visible on the sidelines as well as when his team was celebrating a championship win. There are images of Saban giving the players, who dared to soak him in Gatorade, his death stare during trophy-winning celebrations. Saban carried his intensity almost everywhere he went. Oregan’s BIG 10 Championship-winning coach, Dan Lanning was also on the receiving end of one of Saban’s hard lessons.

A graduate assistant at Alabama, Lanning undertook training at Saban’s youth football camp in his early days under him. “I’m part of the group that’s running the bag drills. It’s not something unique, but Nick had a way that he wanted to run those drills. And it’s one of the first times I remember getting my butt chewed…I learned quickly that I was running the drill wrong — and I’m talking about sixth- and seventh-graders. It wasn’t like these are the guys we’re about to coach. And it was just a great reminder to me: Pay attention to details. For me to get my best butt-chewing during kids camp, I think that just shows the intensity of Nick,” Lanning recalled.

Even after his retirement, Saban continues to be an influential figure with those who trained under him now coaching many programs in the college football landscape. As far as Alabama goes, you should always expect Saban to have his opinion on the program’s progress after him.

Nick Saban continues to cast a shadow over his successor with recent comments

Even post-retirement, Nick Saban continues to be a figurehead in the sport. When he shares his take on things, it does not fall on deaf ears. His recent comments hinting at the year 1 struggles of his successor Kalen DeBoer naturally resonated across the program and beyond.

Alabama was on the periphery of the inaugural 12-team CFP right until the end. However, their aspirations ceased when Clemson won the ACC Championship, especially in the fashion it happened. This meant Bama were left rueing their 3-loss season. “No coach should complain about their position in or out of the playoff. They all controlled their own destiny. This is a learning opportunity for those teams and coaches.”, said Saban.

Whether these were subliminal shots fired at DeBoer or just a fair evaluation of the matter, one thing is certain. The Saban reign of terror has dissipated. The crimson jersey doesn’t quite exude the same fear anymore. It is up to the new regime to build that feeling back up. The Tide faithful are accustomed to success. They’ll hope for a return to normality next season.