Nick Saban has become very popular for his style of defense and how aggressive and "confusing" it is. But does Saban run a "unique" style of defense that nobody else runs? No. A lot of other coaches (both in pro & college) run his same scheme. So why does Saban's seem so different?
I had an LSU buddy of mine tell me the reason and I believe he hit the nail on the head. He said not only does Nick Saban recruit great talent and can develop it, but he DOES NOT recruit "stupid" or "dumb" players. Not saying every recruit is always a success but for the most part he recruits cerebral players. He told me Nick Saban demands players to understand the mental aspect of the game and that's what makes Saban's defense different. Once the players have the mental aspect of his defense down he has availability of the ENTIRE defensive playbook at his disposal. While many teams (even on the pro level) cannot completely open their defensive playbook because of the lack of complete understanding of the scheme.
Nick Saban loves to get physically talented players just like any coach. But he also puts just as much emphasis on the player being able to grasp the mental aspect of the scheme as well.
I had an LSU buddy of mine tell me the reason and I believe he hit the nail on the head. He said not only does Nick Saban recruit great talent and can develop it, but he DOES NOT recruit "stupid" or "dumb" players. Not saying every recruit is always a success but for the most part he recruits cerebral players. He told me Nick Saban demands players to understand the mental aspect of the game and that's what makes Saban's defense different. Once the players have the mental aspect of his defense down he has availability of the ENTIRE defensive playbook at his disposal. While many teams (even on the pro level) cannot completely open their defensive playbook because of the lack of complete understanding of the scheme.
Nick Saban loves to get physically talented players just like any coach. But he also puts just as much emphasis on the player being able to grasp the mental aspect of the scheme as well.