A much different Nick Saban is coaching drills in his 16th season through fall camp at Alabama.
He was more hardcore, in the beginning, building a culture with Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, Mark Barron, AJ McCarron, C.J. Mosley, and others. The arrival of Tua Tagovailoa in the 2017 class made him more mellow, but now Saban is enjoying relating more to the players. He wants to win the eighth national championship (seventh at Alabama) of his coaching career, but Saban also wants to show his fun side. The 70-year-old has been much lighter in preseason camp. He is smiling more, wearing shades, and engaging with players.