Greg McElroy had some words about Nick Saban
Greg McElroy Gets Real About Nick Saban’s Role in Alabama’s Recent Recruiting Success originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have the No. 5 ranked 2026 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports.
The class includes five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin, five-star wide receiver Cederian Morgan, four-star athlete Zyan Gibson and four-star halfback Ezavier Crowell. Due to the stature of some of the Crimson Tide’s recent commits, some believe that former coach Nick Saban helped influence their decision.
Saban coached Alabama from 2007-23, and within that span, he brought in five-stars such as quarterback Bryce Young, wide receiver Julio Jones, edge rusher Keon Keeley and halfback Najee Harris. Furthermore, Saban has been seen meeting with Crimson Tide targets such as Griffin, making the situation seem strange to some.
However, podcast hosts and analysts Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic shut down some of those rumors as they believe Saban didn’t have much to do with the Crimson Tide’s recent recruiting efforts. “How many kids are committing to a place for a guy who isn’t going to be there,” Cubelic said during a recent episode of “McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning.”
“Everyday you're not playing for the guy, he's not going to be there coaching you.” Saban retired from coaching in January 2024, which led the school to hire Kalen DeBoer as their new coach, who many believe is responsible for spearheading the program’s recent recruiting efforts.
“Well, I can tell you why it helps because Nick Saban won a lot of games and put into the brain of a lot of guys that if you win a championship, you're going to the NFL,” McElroy said in response. “So yeah, his influence is felt, but because of what he’s done for the past two decades.”
“The concept that this place produces legends is a really good tagline and useful, but if you think a conversation Saban is having with a recruit is influencing their decision, I don’t see it.”
Furthermore, Griffin’s mother, Jay Clay, defended DeBoer and his coaching staff’s recruiting practices because she considers them responsible for convincing her son to choose the Crimson Tide.
“Let me make this clear for @zay_social recruitment when it comes to Alabama,” she wrote in an X post on Sunday. “Makes me mad to hear @KalenDeBoer can’t recruit because our coach and his staff did a great job!”
Let me make this clear for @zay_social recruitment when it come to Alabama. Makes me mad to hear @KalenDeBoer can’t recruit because our coach and his staff did a great job! I met Saban once but he is not the one that offered or talked to us at any point. @crob45 was and is the…
— Jay Clay (@bamamade87) July 6, 2025
Clay noted that she met Saban once alongside her son, but compared to the school's outside linebacker coach, Christian Robinson, Saban didn’t have any real influence on his decision.
“I met Saban once, but he is not the one that offered or talked to us at any point,” Clay concluded. “@crob45 was and is the 🐐 that got my son to Bama.”
Related: Alabama’s 5-Star Commit’s Mom Clears Air on Nick Saban’s Role in Son’s Recruitment Process
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
