Alabama’s Super-Scout on the Sideline Is Also the Head Coach

Whenever Alabama’s top-ranked football team sends its offense onto the field, a special scout slides down the sideline, away from the bulk of the Crimson Tide’s sizable coaching staff, for a better view of the opponent’s defense. He studies every move, looking for valuable intelligence he can feed to the offensive coaches.

The scout’s name is Nick Saban. He is better known as Alabama’s head coach, and the winner of five national championships.

When Alabama (14-0) faces Clemson (13-1) on Monday night in the College Football Playoff championship game, television cameras will be trained on Saban. (He typically gets more face time than his players.) His generally gloomy mood, no matter the score,…