The college football world was turned upside down on Thursday when Alabama head coach Nick Saban fired a shot at Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher, accusing him of “buying his team” with NIL (name, image and likeness) deals in the recruiting process. It was an attack that went beyond the normal, head coach squabbles- and Fisher's response was akin to a man lighting a blowtorch, as he called the Crimson Tide leader a “narcissist” and insinuated that he “thought he was God.”
It was an ugly exchange that made people wonder whether there were things left unsaid between the two coaches. As it turns out, the tension between Saban and Fisher has been brewing for years, dating back to their time together at LSU, as detailed by The Athletic's Brody Miller, Bruce Feldman and Matt Fortuna.
“There was (friction) all the time,” said one staffer who worked with both coaches at LSU. “Will (Muschamp) and Kirby (Smart) and all the defensive guys all bowed down to Nick, but Nick depended on Jimbo a lot. But Nick is so hard on his (offensive coordinators). They were always at each other’s throats.”
One coach who worked with Saban and Fisher said that “they were always at each other's throats.” The Texas A&M coach, who was Saban's offensive coordinator at LSU back in 2003, felt that the Alabama head coach's “philosophy limited his offense.”
The Athletic went on to detail the “demanding lifestyle” of working for Saban, which Fisher clearly grew tired of. Judging by Thursday's rant, The Texas A&M coach was holding back on saying a lot of things about Saban over the years.
With the Saban-Fisher relationship a frosty one for the foreseeable future, anticipation will be mounting for the Alabama-Texas A&M game in the 2022 season, scheduled for October 8.
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