Saban Advises Alabama's New Coach on Balancing Pressure and Hunger

As Week 1 of the 2025 college football season turned to Week 2, veteran Alabama head coach Nick Saban appeared on ESPN's "College GameDay" to share his insights on the mental aspects of the game. Saban emphasized the delicate balance between a player's eagerness to perform and the amount of pressure and anxiety they put on themselves.

"I think psychological disposition between how hungry are you vs. how much anxiety are you creating for yourself, that all affects your performance," Saban explained. The coach said he would have one-on-one meetings with his players to help them achieve the right mindset.

Saban's comments came as a segue into a discussion about Alabama's new head coach, Kalen DeBoer, who replaced Saban in 2024. DeBoer's teams have lost three of their last four games dating back to the previous season, and host Pat McAfee jokingly referred to the Alabama job as a "hot seat."

However, Saban continued to back DeBoer, saying, "He wants to do well and he's going to do everything he can to do well. We're going to support him to do that." Alabama is set to host Louisiana Monroe this Saturday, September 6th, as they look to bounce back from their Week 1 loss to Florida State.