Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker hit legendary former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban with some lighthearted shade on Wednesday at SEC Media Days. When asked about Saban's prediction that Georgia and Texas would play in the SEC Championship Game, Booker responded with some advice that Saban used to share with his teams.
"He always said 'don't let some guy who lives in his mom's basement determine how you feel,'" Booker said. "So I'm not going to let a guy who plays golf all day determine how I feel."
Saban spent 17 seasons at Alabama and won six national championships. These days, he's playing plenty of golf following his retirement after the 2023 season. Though Saban remains employed by Alabama in an advisory role, he's also giving his opinions on the SEC and college football as a TV analyst. In his on-air role with SEC Network, he predicted Monday that the Longhorns and Bulldogs will square off at season's end for the league crown.
"I believe in our Alabama team, too," Saban said. "And I believe in [quarterback] Jalen Milroe. I just think the question marks in the secondary, until those get resolved, it's hard to sort of jump on that bandwagon."
Saban's blunt assessment of Alabama in 2024 should come as no surprise. As a coach, he eschewed media predictions of grandeur for the Crimson Tide, which he equated to "rat poison." His evaluation was also in line with the most obvious area of concern for Alabama. With star corners Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold departed for the NFL and standout safety Caleb Downs transferring to Ohio State after the 2023 season, the Crimson Tide have questions to answer on the back end of their defense.
Hear more of what Alabama players had to say about the transition to Kalen Deboer from Saban here.