Paul Finebaum weighs in on the Jimbo Fisher-Nick Saban dispute one year later
Time flew by as we’re approaching the first anniversary of Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher and Alabama head coach Nick Saban’s War of Words on May 19 of last year after Saban accused Fisher of essentially buying Texas A&M’s historic 2022 recruiting class.
This led to one of the ridiculous talkin’ season storylines that quickly became moot after Fisher and Saban would reconnect at SEC Media Days just a couple of months later. However, Fisher’s ten-minute verbal massacre aimed at Saban’s ‘skeletons in the closet’ has positioned itself as one of the more memorable attempted takedowns in college football history.
Well, count on the media, and in this case, Paul Finebaum, to remind us all that Nick Saban came out as the proven winner from a NIL standpoint, as his absurd comment to Fisher was strategic, as the Crimson Tide went on to sign the No.1 recruiting class in the 2023 cycle. During a recent appearance on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, Finebaum explained that from start to finish, both coaches gifted the media storylines without anything genuinely coming to fruition.
“Saban may have made a mistake initially by opening up the door, but Jimbo simply made a mess out of it the next day when he held the news conference. Nothing was gained from that. If you are going after Nick Saban, take him down.”
Saban “opening the door” wasn’t an open invitation for Fisher to respond. Yet, the anger and passion he exhibited that day came from a place of protection for his players and the program, so personally, “taking him down” was never the end goal. Stating the obvious, Finebaum notes that Fisher’s rant only gave Saban the upper hand from a momentum perspective when they met in Tuscaloosa, though the Tide escaped 24-20 on a final goal-line stop.
“There’s always that line from mythology, ‘If you are going to go after the king, you have to kill him,’” Finebaum stated. “He didn’t. He beat him on the football field the year before but all he did was give Saban some momentum by saying all these nasty things about him without any justification.”
In the end, Alabama’s less-than-stellar 2022 season (11-2, 6-2 SEC) vs. Texas A&M’s disappointing campaign (5-7, 2-6 SEC) means that a reset is for both programs, leaving Finebaum with one last point to prove that Alabama may have one on the recruiting front. Still, as we stand, Fisher and Saban will likely avoid any more pointless squabbles that take away from preparing for their impending seasons.
“Saban had a huge recruiting class, didn’t have a great season on the field,” Finebaum stated. “Jimbo’s season was short of a disaster. Now, he is trying to bounce back.”
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