Was Nick Saban involved with this 5-star recruitment?
Nation's No. 1 LB Gets Real About Nick Saban's Influence on Alabama Amid Latest Rumors originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are on a roll with recruitment. However, many times in the age of digital media, with success comes trolling.
The Crimson Tide is no different. First, the argument from the haters was that since Nick Saban is not there anymore, recruitment will take a hit.
Now that head coach Kalen DeBoer is debunking that myth, the goalpost has been moved further away. 5-star LB Xavier Griffin put an end to the rumors around his recruitment and gave it back to the doubters.
Talking to WAAYTV anchor Trevor Denton, Griffin said, "The haters just want to talk. They said Nick Saban can't save us, and then now they're just talking about (he's) saving us. So I mean, they're just going to talk."
Despite being near a microphone for a living now, Coach Saban has seemingly tried to make things easy for Coach DeBoer. For the most part, he doesn't give the media any kind of fodder that they can use against his successor.
Coach DeBoer has put together an explosive recruiting class for the next year. Griffin is a key pillar in that vision. Thus, they went all in despite the difficulties.
For nation's No. 1 LB, it was Kalen DeBoer and his staff who did the convincing. Griffin was initially committed to the USC Trojans. But after the Crimson Tide made their case stronger and he felt a bond with the staff in Alabama, Griffin reconsidered and changed his decision.
The Gainesville LB comes from a football family as his father, Xavier Griffin Sr, also played at the University of Georgia before going pro and joining the Carolina Panthers.
It was important for Alabama to bring him in since he's seen what it takes to perform at the highest level. As soon as they did that, along with other splendid moves, the trolling started coming in.
For now, Griffin has put an end to all the noise around his recruitment and Nick Saban's involvement. But Coach DeBoer and his staff will need to back their rankings up to keep the doubters at bay.
Related: Paul Finebaum Names Major College Football Head Coach That Is ‘Insecure’
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
