College Football

Nick Saban-Jimbo Fisher feud is about way more than NIL deals

Updated May. 19, 2022 6:44 p.m. ET

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By RJ Young
FOX Sports College Football Writer

Just three days after we learned that Alabama will play Texas on the Forty Acres on FOX, Nick Saban squarely put himself into the sights of the other iconic college football program in Texas.

Speaking Wednesday at an event for Birmingham businesspeople, Saban told the crowd that Texas A&M, which the Crimson Tide host Oct. 8 in Tuscaloosa, "bought" recruits through Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals.

"I know the consequence is going to be difficult for the people who are spending tons of money to get players," Saban said, according to AL.com. "You read about it. You know who they are. We were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for Name, Image and Likeness.

"We didn’t buy one player. All right? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it. It’s tough."

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If that weren't enough, Saban took a shot at a lower division school in Jackson State. He claimed that alumni of the program spent $1 million to entice former No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter to attend the HBCU in Jackson, Mississippi.

"We have a rule right now that said you cannot use Name, Image and Likeness to entice a player to come to your school. Hell, read about it in the paper!" Saban said. "I mean, Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school. It was in the paper, and they bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

All of this was a bridge too far for JSU coach Deion Sanders, who issued a tweet refuting Saban’s allegation.

But in true Aggie fashion, a tweet wasn’t going to cut it for Fisher.

The first former Saban assistant to beat him during his time at Alabama called an impromptu news conference on a Thursday morning in the middle of May, and much like Cersei Lannister, Fisher chose violence.

After first uttering how angry he was that Saban would allege misconduct at A&M, Fisher attacked Saban personally.

"It's despicable that we have to sit here at this level of ball and say these things to defend the people of this organization, the kids, 17-year-old kids and their families," Fisher said. "It's amazing. Some people think they're God. Go dig into how ‘God’ did his deal. You may find out about a lot of things you don't want to know.

"We build him up to be the czar of football. Go dig into his past or anybody that's ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out, what he does and how he does it. It's despicable. It really is."

When Fisher was asked if Saban had called him, he cut off the question.

"Oh, he’s called," Fisher said. "Not going to [take the call]. We’re done."

Later Thursday, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey publicly reprimanded both coaches for their comments.

Saban also apologized to Texas A&M during an interview with ESPN Radio, noting that he wasn't trying to infer the school broke rules.

"I should have never singled anybody out, and I apologize for that part of it," he said, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "It's the whole system, and is this a sustainable system, and is it good for college football?"

Fisher was Saban’s offensive coordinator at LSU from 2000 to 2004 and held that title with the Tigers until 2006.

In 2007, the year Saban returned to college football at Alabama, Fisher interviewed for the head-coaching job at the University of Alabama-Birmingham — his first job in the sport was at nearby Samford, where Bobby Bowden coached and played — and learned he’d been selected for the position, only for it to be taken from him just after he agreed to terms.

University of Alabama trustees oversee the University of Alabama system, which encompasses UAB. The trustees reportedly nixed the agreement so that Saban wouldn’t have to compete with Fisher for players just an hour’s drive away.

"I know the guy," Fisher said of Saban. "I know him really well. It’s the second time we’ve had to do this with grown men who don’t get their way and want to pout and throw a fit and act up. Just go ask all the people who work for him who know exactly what he’s about."

Fisher eventually accepted an offensive coordinator position under Bowden at Florida State, later succeeded him and led the Seminoles to a BCS national championship.

"You coach with people like Bobby Bowden," Fisher said, "and learn how to do things. You coach with other people and learn how not to do things. There’s a reason I ain’t went back and worked for [Saban], with opportunities. Don’t want to be associated with him."

When it comes to Jimbo Fisher’s relationship with Nick Saban, the gloves might not be off, but they’re certainly of the four-to-six-ounce variety. Come Oct. 8, we’re all going to wish that Big John McCarthy were wearing the white hat as the head referee standing at the 50-yard line between Fisher and Saban and pointing to each of them.

"ARE YOU READY?"

"ARE YOU READY?"

"LET’S GET IT ON!"

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young, and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube. He is not on a StepMill.

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