Nick Saban has a unique view on this week’s Rose Bowl.
He used to be the boss of Indiana’s coach Curt Cignetti when Cignetti was Alabama’s receivers coach from 2007-10. And now, Cignetti will face Saban’s former team, led by Saban’s replacement, Kalen DeBoer.
On Wednesday in a press conference, DeBoer was asked about his conversations with his predecessor and what DeBoer has gained from them.
“I think the biggest thing is, I have an appreciation for coach Saban,” DeBoer said. “It was very easy for me to understand what his take was going to be on it or how he wanted this to continue on. Just think about, he put all this time into this program to make it what it is. To me the legacy continues when the program continues to grow and improve and be better, even when you’re done. I think that’s the way he’s always been.”
DeBoer said Saban, who remains on the UA payroll, is there “whenever you need him.”
“He has his way with the media and how he’s got to handle things with different teams and such, but I know he’s still rooting for the Crimson Tide,” DeBoer said. “There’s a lot of players on our team he still recruited and brought in. He cares about them and wants to see them be successful and realize the goals and the dreams that they had when they first committed to coming to Alabama. Just trying to carry on the legacy of not just coach Saban but all the great coaches, all the great players who came here to make this place what it is. We play for that. We play for the program to make it better for those that come after us too.”
No. 9 Alabama is set to take part in the Rose Bowl on Thursday (3 p.m. CT, ESPN) against No. 1 Indiana in the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff.
