Alabama fans are pumped to have an offensive-minded head coach, but they are more excited about the defense.
Nick Saban, who served as the Crimson Tide’s defensive architect for 17 years, saw the respect opponents had for Alabama’s defense under Kirby Smart and Jeremy Pruitt. Those teams believed in forcing turnovers, scoring off those turnovers, sacking quarterbacks, limiting points, and having offenses mentally defeated before kickoff. Stephen “Pete” Golding wanted to keep the momentum going, but he was not prepared to come to Tuscaloosa (Ala.) from the University of Texas at San Antonio and excel.
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Alabama became a pushover on defense for five years (2018-22), regardless of winning a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2020.