He just said, ‘Hey you’re going to get a chance to come and compete for a spot and play with the best.'” “He didn’t say ‘You’re going to be a starter Day 1, the cupboard’s bare.’ Nothing like that. That wasn’t really his style,” Barrett Jones said. “He didn’t really promise anything, even though a lot of times new coaches will basically say anything to get you to come. While other coaches might guarantee playing time, dangling the carrot of immediacy in the faces of recruits, Saban offers an opportunity to compete. What does he say to them? What makes Saban’s presentation so different? What is it about Saban’s message that is so attractive to 18 year-old athletes who could go anywhere? Since then, Saban’s recruiting effectiveness and his ability to lure high-carat studs to Alabama has often been hailed, but the reason for said success has remained an enigma. I could tell he was going to win a lot of football games.” It was just the way he talked, the way he carried himself. For whatever reason, when coach Saban told you that, I believed him. “Every coach tells you they are going to win, they are going to do special things. At the time, it was more of a leap of faith you had to sort of buy into what he was talking about. (Alabama) was coming off a 4-8 year and a lot of frustrations. “He kind of invited me to be a part of something special,” Jones said. After enjoying a lasagna supper, Saban sat down and laid out The Process - his plan for how he was going to restore Alabama to its former glory. I could tell he was going to win a lot of football games."īarrett Jones remembers that same conviction in Saban’s voice when he made his recruiting presentation to the Jones family in their Memphis home in 2007. "Every coach tells you they are going to win, they are going to do special things. And all of the above was delivered with unswerving confidence. Living rooms from Brentwood, Tennessee, to Bunker Hill, West Virginia, were filled with the bulletin points of Saban’s message, of his staunch commitment to his players, and of the gemlike pride of Alabama football. There were no throw-pillow-like assurances, no fluff, no waxy, back-slapping words telling Ingram how great he was. Within minutes, Saban had captivated the whole room. Lee had known Saban from Saban’s time at Michigan State, but he didn’t really know him, know him. Once inside the Ingram home, Saban sat down with members of his family and coach Lee. Saban fielded several phone calls as Lee drove. So now Lee and Saban were in the car, traveling to Ingram’s house. Just a few days prior, Lee had sent Saban a tape of one of his players. Lee walked over and introduced himself and the two men hopped in Lee’s vehicle. “He was the first coach - and I’ve been dealing with a lot of coaches over the years - but no one ever came in a private jet.” “First of all, I was just stunned,” Lee recalled. There was little fanfare, but to Lee, it was as if Elvis had arrived in Flint. “Oh, he’s over there,” someone said, pointing to a private jet. The airport wasn’t large, and Lee began to ask if anyone had seen the first-year Alabama coach. It was a cold November day in 2007, and as a light snow was dusting the ground at Flint Bishop Airport, Gary Lee, the head coach at Flint (Michigan) Southwestern Academy, was searching for Nick Saban. Nick Saban began implementing it the day he arrived in Tuscaloosa - and Alabama football - college football - has never been the same. Before the wins, before the SEC titles, before the national championships, there was a process.
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