Nick Saban didn’t just become the revered ‘greatest CFB coach of all times’. 17 seasons, 6 National Championship wins, and several unforgettable accolades make him one, sure. But it wasn’t a never done before score. Bear Bryant did it before him at Tuscaloosa. The reason behind Saban getting the title is his special ability to connect with players to get their best game out of them, all while being strictly methodical. Lane Kiffin, the now Ole Miss HC and former offensive coordinator at Tuscaloosa under Saban for 3 seasons, recalls a miraculous yet hilarious stunt that Coach Saban pulled, highlighting the lengths he went to for the players on his team.

When a former staffer, Nick Perkins, recalled a dramatic incident from the 2014-2015 season on the McCready and Siskey podcast, Kiffin couldn’t hide his amusement. Reacting a ‘laughing emoji’ to the clip shared by Perkins, Kiffin let his followers on a small story about Nick Saban. The team had decided to send the players home for Christmas break before they appeared for the playoffs. Everything was set until Dominick Jackson, the then OL, had clashing timings of his flight with practice sessions.

In his podcast, Perkins made one thing crystal clear: “Nick Saban doesn’t change his practice timings for anyone.” Even when the player could potentially lose his flight home for the holiday. While all of them were freaking out about how Jackson would make it to the airport in just 15 minutes window. When every effort of the staff members met a dead end, Nick Saban took the responsibility of making Jackson reach the airport in under 15 minutes. “If you can’t handle it, I’ll handle it,” Saban said then to Perkins. Saban had arranged for a trooper to pick Jackson up after his practice, who somehow miraculously made it to the airport in time. After that day, there is just one question that Perkins wants to ask Nick Saban.

The one question for Nick Saban

When Perkins got the call back from the trooper that Dominick Jackson had made it to the flight, he was shocked. Since that day, there is one question plaguing his mind that he would like to ask Nick Saban. “What in the hell did he do to get Dominic Jackson on that plane?” Perkins wondered loudly, vocalizing the question that each listener had in their mind.

While that remains a mystery, Saban’s contribution towards his players throughout his years as Crimson Tide head coach is evident. Not to mention, this is just one of the several incidents where Nick Saban went above and beyond to help a student on his team. Simply proving why he is the ‘greatest coach in CFB’.