Nick Saban leaves Alabama, and college football, as arguably its greatest coach. The seven-time champion deserves plenty of credit for building Alabama and LSU into championship programs, but his unbelievably talented players deserve plenty, too.
Who were the best at each position? It’s hard to say. Over Saban’s 17 years at Alabama, 26 players have been named unanimous All-Americans. Four were Heisman Trophy winners and three others won the Bednarik Award for Defensive Player of the Year. Whittling the list to 11 starters on each side of the ball leaves out national champions, potential Hall of Famers and first-round draft picks. That’s the bar to stand out on a Saban team.
Technically, Saban has four stops as a coach, with previous stints at Michigan State, Toledo and LSU. Marcus Spears and Chad Lavalais deserve plenty of credit, but Saban’s 17-year run at Alabama produced an unbeatable treasure trove of talent. A second team of players left off this list might still be better than any other coach’s first team.
Here is the full “All-Nick Saban Team” as the iconic coach hangs up his whistle for the final time.
Offense
QB: Bryce Young
The only Alabama quarterback to win a Heisman Trophy and the only No. 1 pick of the Saban era is the obvious choice. Young started just two seasons but ranks No. 2 on the all-time Alabama passing list with two of the top five passing seasons. He threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns during his Heisman campaign and dragged a flawed Tide team to Saban’s final national championship game.
RB: Derrick Henry, Mark Ingram
A number of amazing running backs came through the Alabama program under Saban, but it takes a Heisman Trophy to crack this list. Ingram became the first Alabama player to win a Heisman…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/bryce-young-amari-cooper-lead-all-nick-saban-team-highlighting-legendary-coachs-best-players-at-alabama/
Author : Shehan Jeyarajah
Publish date : 2024-01-11 21:21:22
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