In the first few years of Nick Saban’s Alabama tenure it was commonplace to chalk up another National Signing Day victory to “Saban and the Tide are cheating. They have to be paying players.” When an Auburn fan makes a comment like that, it is typically laughed off as jealousy because it usually is.
In Saban’s early years at Alabama it was baffling to see what he and his coaching staff were doing on the recruiting trail. Their mastery of both recruiting and the manipulation of ESPN, 247Sports.com, Rivals.com and, essentially, anything recruiting-related transformed them to the national powerhouse they are today.