Saturday’s SEC West Division matchup at Bryant-Denny Stadium between Alabama and Texas A&M features Nick Saban once again facing off against one of his former assistant coaches.
Jimbo Fisher served as Saban’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at LSU from 2000-2004. The two have met four times as head coaches on opposing sidelines.
Saban is 3-1 against Fisher, who took over the reins at College Station in 2018. Fisher, to his credit, handed Saban his first career loss to one of his former proteges last year. Other than the 2021 season’s anomaly, Saban has, by and large, dominated the coaching rivalry.
Head-to-head coaching matchups:
- 2018: 45-23 — Alabama
- 2019: 47-28 — Alabama
- 2020: 52-24 — Alabama
- 2021: 41-38 — Texas A&M
Saban vs. Fisher Feud
This spring, the Tide-Aggies showdown was billed as one of the most highly anticipated games in 2022 due to the public exchange that took place between the two coaches over the issue of name, image and likeness.
Saban accused Fisher and the Aggies of buying “every player” in its 2022 recruiting class, which bested Alabama for the No. 1 ranking in the nation.
Nick Saban says Texas A&M bought every recruit on their team and Alabama didn’t buy any of theirs. Get your popcorn and head to the comments! pic.twitter.com/E4QoiDT5om
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 19, 2022
Taking exception to the allegation, Fisher went on a nearly 10-minute tirade against his former boss in a press conference following Saban’s claims.
Calling Saban a “narcissist,” Fisher slammed the Alabama coach’s “despicable” words and lamented him being viewed as a “god” and someone that “walk[s] on water.” The Aggies head coach has since said that he and Saban were “in great shape” after declaring four months prior that the two were “done.”
The upcoming game has lost most of its luster due to Texas A&M’s mediocre play to begin the season, highlighted by a 17-14 home loss to FCS opponent Appalachian State.
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Rat Poison
Even as unranked Texas A&M has struggled in its 2022 campaign, do not expect No. 1 Alabama to succumb to the lethal attraction of “rat poison.” Saban first coined the term in 2017 after an eight-point victory at College Station.
According to Saban, “rat poison” comes in the form of over-hyped media coverage of his team that distracts players from performing at their best on any given Saturday. This week, the seven-time national champion used the term once more to warn of complacency given that Alabama is a 24.5-point favorite in the game.
The 7 p.m. primetime game on CBS is sure to receive its fair share of interest as the Tide looks to avenge last year’s loss to an inferior team.
Saturday’s game will likely add to the storied rivalry between the two programs that dates back to 1941.
Alabama leads the series 11-3 and has won eight of the last 10 games. The Tide is 8-2 when it has played Texas A&M in conference matchups. The Aggies became a member of the SEC in 2012.
Coach Sharing
Especially unique to the rivalry is the crossover of coaches that the two programs have experienced.
The legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant took over as head coach at Texas A&M in 1954. Bryant had compiled a 25-14-2 record with the Aggies when “mama called” at the end of the 1957 season, which saw the coach return to his alma mater in Tuscaloosa. The rest, as they say, is history.
Jackie Sherrill, who played running back at Bama under Bryant from 1962-1965, went on to become a graduate assistant at Alabama following the close of his playing career. After a run of coaching stints at various programs, Sherrill was hired by Texas A&M as its head coach in 1982, where he led the Aggies until 1988.
Gene Stallings was part of Bryant’s “Junction Boys” at Texas A&M, where he was quarterback from 1954-1956. He went on to serve as a defensive assistant at Alabama from 1958-1964 until becoming head coach at College Station in 1965.
The seven-year Aggies head coach returned to Tuscaloosa in 1990. He would lead Alabama to a national championship in 1992 and finish his coaching career in 1996.
From 2001-2002, Dennis Franchione served as Alabama’s head coach. After getting off to a 17-9 start with the Tide, Franchione opted to leave Tuscaloosa for the same position at Texas A&M, where he coached four years.
One of the most unique rivalries in college football, Alabama and Texas A&M are sure to continue providing intriguing storylines for the foreseeable future.
Dylan Smith is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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