SEC Media Days: Nick Saban is rarely wrong about football, but he’s wildly off the mark on Keelon Russell

You don’t want to call the GOAT out very often, but he couldn’t hit water from a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with this one.

We’re busy cranking out SEC Media Days content, and Alabama had its turn at the podium yesterday — of which, we have much to say. But we’re going to jump ahead in time today and focus on what Nick Saban had to say about Keelon Russell the past two days in Tampa. And, one thing immediately leaps out at you: Even after 40+ years of coaching, this man is simply not comfortable with underclassmen playing under center, and especially freshmen.

Yesterday, he had this to say of the Gatorade Player of the Year, practically willing Austin Mack into the starting role:

More of that OLE’ SCHOO’ FOOTBAW! Run it off, rub some dirt on it, pay your dues. You know — Boomer shit. And, specifically here, “Keelon is going to be a great player….but he’s just gotta wait his turn.”

That kind of entitled thinking is as antiquated as third date sex (it’s two now, sometimes one, given Only Fans hoeflation).

How often have we seen it? Saban was able to evolve half a dozen times after almost as many decades, but at the end of the day, some things are just beaten into you, and a veteran QB preference is just one of his. Though he’s hardly alone here, consensus doesn’t ensure accuracy.

Everyone has an off-day; so I chalked that up to low blood sugar. Get a Snickers and rethink it. Nope, instead, after Alabama’s presentation yesterday, Saban still had this to say this morning about Russell: another variation of “hella’ talented, but not ready.”

Fine, he’s entitled to that opinion, but the first half was perplexing: “I do think Austin Mack is probably a little bit ahead in terms of his maturity as a player at the position.”

I have had the pleasure to watch both of these guys on the practice field and compete in A-Day, and there is one thing Mack consistently does better than Russell: He knows the playbook better. And, after three seasons in the system he should.

But Keelon makes better decisions with the ball, has better accuracy, better zip, and can do things as the running threat (not even taking off) that opens up the offense in ways that Mack can not. Let us not also forget that most ephemeral but important quality with the passing attack — Keelon has rapport with the receiving corps, with he and RCW2 in particular already operating as a formidable tandem. He has made the best players around him better. (Buncha’ prima donna headcases IYAM, but that reality is there.)

WADR to the GOAT, Russell’s is the formula for being the player better positioned to win football games. To point to some sort of “maturity” (shich we also didnnot see on A-Day) is much the same foolishness that saw Tua barely see the field in scrub duty an entire season; one that saw Jalen Hurts sidelined for a player who couldn’t move the ball; that saw a staff consistently fail to develop young players in their waning tenure, and a decade-long exodus of guys hit the road when it was clear that Alabama functioned on pure veteran system. Like it’s a teachers union.

All of those issues manifested themselves in Saban’s last season, popped up again the the year Nick left, and even the year after with a fifth-year player, as Alabama has now had two (and will staring at a third) season of QBs with minimal or no experience playing the position and not even having the mop up duty to give them a potential headstart entering 2026.

You don’t play who should be the best. You don’t play who is best on paper. You play who’s played the best. That is and has been unquestionably Keelon Russell. Age is truly just a number in this case, and Saban is just wrong. It was a meme for a decade for a reason: Imagine what happens if Saban ever gets a quarterback. Because until the Jalen /Tua / Mac / Bryce quartet, Alabama mostly won despite the passing game, not because of it.