Nick Saban Couldn’t Have Shown Less Emotion Watching Alabama Go Up 28-0 On Georgia

One of the standout memories I have from Nick Saban's coaching days is when he'd clap his hands repeatedly to encourage his players. It wasn't, like, Jason Garrett levels of lame either. It often worked. Haters may call Saban a reverse-psychology gaslighting sadist when it comes to motivational tactics. That is, he'd often offer positive reinforcement when his team was trailing, but scream bloody murder at them for some minute detail while they're up by 35 points. At least that was usually the way of things when Saban stormed around the sidelines in Tuscaloosa. He was on hand on Saturday night to watch the latest entry in the epic Alabama-Georgia SEC rivalry, as his successor Kalen DeBoer got his first crack at the Bulldogs. Maybe it's nerves. Maybe it's Saban being super-locked in and still unable to flip off "coach mode" when Bama games are on. Whatever it was, the GOAT college coach was hilariously unmoved when Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe raced into the end zone to put the home team up 28-0. https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1840191043049832733 https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1840191278857830836 It's been fun seeing Saban on ESPN's College GameDay amid the chaos of the rowdy college town crowds and the singular weirdness that Pat McAfee can bring to the pro-grum. Still gotta admit it's weird not seeing him at the helm of yet another College Football Playoff-bound team. Maybe the new NIL rules and transfer portal broke his spirit to continue on, but if this in-game reaction isn't proof positive Saban has the coaching bug in a bad way, I don't know what could be more compelling. Like come on, man. Your team just went up 28-0, full of players you developed and recruited. This is the biggest smile you can squeak out? https://twitter.com/HoeAssMrB/status/1840190678329954408 I respect the commitment to the bit. Except now I know that what Saban's doing isn't a bit. Just be a fan, Nick! You're not coaching anymore! It's OK! You do have to wonder if a more offense-oriented head coach in DeBoer taking over at Alabama will better aid Milroe's progression into a legitimate NFL prospect. Other than a bit of choppy play against USF, the man has been on fire this season. And he's freaking shredding Georgia. https://twitter.com/Rob__Paul/status/1840179470528868723 https://twitter.com/AlabamaFTBL/status/1840184945626468352 If Saban can't get overly excited, the guy who claimed to miss the birth of his child to attend this game had better be losing his mind right now on Coach's behalf. https://twitter.com/CollegeGameDay/status/1840055289627721848