A few more legends were made at the University of Alabama in 2019. With Nick Saban’s program continuing to operate in the thinnest air, it is not surprising that Tide sports drove much of the discussion nationally.
Here are the top five stories this year:
1. Tua Tagovailoa’s strength in the face of adversity. When Kirk Herbstreit interviewed Tua following his season-ending injury, Herbstreit’s most enduring takeaway from the conversation was the strength of Tua’s uplifting spirit. It is natural to think Herbstreit would have been impressed with the record-setting quarterback’s grasp of offensive concepts or his ability to read defenses. Instead, Herbstreit raved about Tua’s positivity and the effect Tua has had on his own family and even Herbstreit, himself. Grounded in a strong Christian faith, how Tua handled himself off the field was ultimately a much bigger story in 2019 than his play on the field.
2. Jalen Hurts becomes an ambassador for the process. When Hurts quarterbacked the Crimson Tide it was easy to see he was in many ways a reflection of his coach. Disciplined and hyper-focused, Hurts was relentless beginning with his debut game against USC as a freshman. This year’s Oklahoma version of Hurts was soaked in that same fuel. It was evident that the principles of Saban’s process by which he runs his legendary program were deeply engrained in Hurts. When Oklahoma football’s own social media account tried to highlight some of the Sooners’ impressive offensive stats, Hurts slid into the comments section writing, “Rat poison.” After a blowout win against Texas Tech in September, Hurts was spotted in the weight room working out while still wearing his game pants. Hurts may turn out to be the first successful franchisee of Saban’s methods.
3. The Tide fielded one of the greatest wide receiver units ever. People need to take a minute and appreciate how great Alabama’s wide receiver corps was this season. Florida and FSU had some standout groups in the 1990s. USC had a few in the early 2000s. There were a couple of times LSU had a great tandem. However, no one has had four who threatened defenses every single down like Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. The foursome combined for 3,431 of Alabama’s 4,122 receiving yards, and only Jeudy averaged less than 17 yards per reception.
4. “When you get to the top of the mountain, you become the mountain.” Those are the words of Saban as part of HBO’s “The Art of Coaching,” a documentary highlighting his work and relationship with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. The documentary itself provides fascinating insight into how the two men became the best in their respective professions. Any person in a position of leadership, in any industry, would be well-served to watch and learn from these men. This quote is also a good reminder of exactly the kind of historic run on which Saban and the Tide find themselves. When the Tide square off against Michigan on January 1, Saban will be gunning for his 157th win at the helm in Tuscaloosa. That’s averaging more than 12 wins a season along with five national championships in the toughest version of the SEC in history. Tide fans, stop … breathe it in … best run ever.
5. Alabama hires a new basketball coach. Perhaps nothing could better symbolize the difficulty of serving as head men’s basketball coach at Alabama than the jump from No. 4 to No. 5 on this very list. But Nate Oats is game to try. Hired in March, Oats will likely have a season or two honeymoon to get the program headed in the right direction. Having enjoyed significant success with a smaller program, Oats has a reputation for being a bright basketball mind with intense focus.
Bonus: An entertaining impersonation of Saban at Christmas recently made the rounds on social media. It was good. But there will really only be one true Saban impersonator, and that is former Tide player Rob Ezell. Enjoy.
Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia
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