Cecil Hurt's article is spot on with what was said last night!
Saban mum on transfer rumors
Cecil Hurt
TideSports.com Columnist
Talk about it in Talk of Champions
Just to be clear, no one asked Nick Saban specifically about any possible transfers to the University of Alabama football team during his Tuesday night appearance at the Crimson Caravan stop in Huntsville.
For more clarity, Saban couldn't have responded to any specific questions about a student-athlete that is still enrolled at another school. NCAA rules don't allow it.
Saban was asked about rumors that a "high-profile player" might possibly transfer to UA. No names - not Braxton Miller, now at Ohio State, or anyone else - were ever mentioned. The question was only about "rumors."
"I'm not really allowed to talk about any other players on any other teams," Saban said. "I know nothing about such rumors. I don't even know who you are talking about. I don't know about any of those things."
The question was then rephrased as a general philosophical matter. That was fair ground for an inquiry since Saban did exactly the same thing at the quarterback position a year ago, bringing in graduate transfer Jake Coker from Florida State.
"If there was somebody out there that I thought could help our team, we might have a spot or two available that we could probably (use), but it would have to be the right person, in the right place, that could make a contribution. Because that would have to be something that would have to be good for that person and good for us."
That was the extent of the conversation. Saban didn't initiate the conversation, but he didn't seem irritated by it. There is certainly precedent if Alabama chooses to go in that direction, and Miller's name has been floating around as a possible transfer since January, when it became obvious that Ohio State had a logjam of talented quarterbacks for 2015. Tuscaloosa isn't the only SEC destination where Miller has been whispered about, either. LSU is also reportedly going to be in the mix, if there is a mix. (I have no idea what Miller is thinking at the moment.)
The two questions that were directed at Saban were far from the only questions about the situation. There are various reports about Miller's recuperation from the right shoulder injury that kept him out for the entire 2014 season. There is also the broader question of what it might mean if Alabama, with five quarterbacks on its roster, felt the need to pursue a sixth. There is nothing inherently wrong with the collegiate version of the free agent market. After all, you might find yourself with a Russell Wilson on your roster. Or you might get a Jeremiah Masioli, who had mixed results in a year at Ole Miss. But taking one-year transfers (in football or basketball) is a relatively low-risk transaction. But at some point, Alabama might like a little more stability coming out of the spring.
Even if all the rumors turn into truth, it is worth remembering what happened a year ago. Coming out of A-Day 2014, the general buzz was that Coker was not only coming (a Mobile native, he had close ties to Alabama from the outset) bqut that he would quickly supplant Blake Sims and be the starter. That didn't happen, obviously. Now, Miller has a lot more collegiate game experience than Coker had (or has), but the lesson remains: you never know.
The quarterback quest at Alabama is soon to have its 50th anniversary, if you reach back to Kenny Stabler's senior year for the last "superstar" at the position. But nothing - not even the end of spring practice - slows Alabama fans, and perhaps its coaches, too.
Saban mum on transfer rumors
Cecil Hurt
TideSports.com Columnist
Talk about it in Talk of Champions
Just to be clear, no one asked Nick Saban specifically about any possible transfers to the University of Alabama football team during his Tuesday night appearance at the Crimson Caravan stop in Huntsville.
For more clarity, Saban couldn't have responded to any specific questions about a student-athlete that is still enrolled at another school. NCAA rules don't allow it.
Saban was asked about rumors that a "high-profile player" might possibly transfer to UA. No names - not Braxton Miller, now at Ohio State, or anyone else - were ever mentioned. The question was only about "rumors."
"I'm not really allowed to talk about any other players on any other teams," Saban said. "I know nothing about such rumors. I don't even know who you are talking about. I don't know about any of those things."
The question was then rephrased as a general philosophical matter. That was fair ground for an inquiry since Saban did exactly the same thing at the quarterback position a year ago, bringing in graduate transfer Jake Coker from Florida State.
"If there was somebody out there that I thought could help our team, we might have a spot or two available that we could probably (use), but it would have to be the right person, in the right place, that could make a contribution. Because that would have to be something that would have to be good for that person and good for us."
That was the extent of the conversation. Saban didn't initiate the conversation, but he didn't seem irritated by it. There is certainly precedent if Alabama chooses to go in that direction, and Miller's name has been floating around as a possible transfer since January, when it became obvious that Ohio State had a logjam of talented quarterbacks for 2015. Tuscaloosa isn't the only SEC destination where Miller has been whispered about, either. LSU is also reportedly going to be in the mix, if there is a mix. (I have no idea what Miller is thinking at the moment.)
The two questions that were directed at Saban were far from the only questions about the situation. There are various reports about Miller's recuperation from the right shoulder injury that kept him out for the entire 2014 season. There is also the broader question of what it might mean if Alabama, with five quarterbacks on its roster, felt the need to pursue a sixth. There is nothing inherently wrong with the collegiate version of the free agent market. After all, you might find yourself with a Russell Wilson on your roster. Or you might get a Jeremiah Masioli, who had mixed results in a year at Ole Miss. But taking one-year transfers (in football or basketball) is a relatively low-risk transaction. But at some point, Alabama might like a little more stability coming out of the spring.
Even if all the rumors turn into truth, it is worth remembering what happened a year ago. Coming out of A-Day 2014, the general buzz was that Coker was not only coming (a Mobile native, he had close ties to Alabama from the outset) bqut that he would quickly supplant Blake Sims and be the starter. That didn't happen, obviously. Now, Miller has a lot more collegiate game experience than Coker had (or has), but the lesson remains: you never know.
The quarterback quest at Alabama is soon to have its 50th anniversary, if you reach back to Kenny Stabler's senior year for the last "superstar" at the position. But nothing - not even the end of spring practice - slows Alabama fans, and perhaps its coaches, too.
