Published On: 09.02.21 | 

By: Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Alabama NewsCenter 2021 football preview: University of Alabama

Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban watches his players practice this week as the beginning of the 2021 football season nears. (Kent Gidley/Alabama Athletics)

From the outside, you might think Alabama football players don’t have a care in the world.

It seems they’re always ranked No. 1 and they are always mentioned among the top contenders for the College Football Playoff and the National Championship.

And why not? The Crimson Tide has won six national championships during head coach Nick Saban’s 14 seasons in Tuscaloosa, including the 2020 title.

But past success is no guarantee of future results, and it appears some Tide players are holding tightly to the notion that they’re not as good as they should be. That has left Saban battling anxiety among his players before they begin their season with Saturday’s 2021 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Miami at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Central on ABC.

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Nick Saban discusses Miami, football season kickoff from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Saban said some veteran players are experiencing anxiety because they’ve heard and read everything that’s been said about Alabama.

“They read that they’re supposed to be in the playoffs,” the coach said. “They read that they’re No. 1. They read all these things that I’ve referred to as ‘rat poison’ before. That creates a lot of anxiety and everybody thinks they have to elevate their game.

“I’m trying to convince them, ‘Hey, man. We’ve just got to play our game. Everybody’s got to play your game,’” Saban said. “’Don’t put pressure on yourself and think you’ve got to be something that you’re not, and we’ve got to play together as a team.’”

But anxiety isn’t limited to the Tide players who were on the roster before this fall. Young players who were highly recruited have high expectations of what they can accomplish. Some of those expectations are not realistic, Saban said.

“They get a little frustrated because they’re not making the kind of progress that they want to make,” he said. “You’ve got all these variables sort of circling around on your team. We’ve really got to get everybody in the right mindset, just to buy into doing the things that they need to do to play well, play their game.”

Saban wants to give his players high-achievement motivation and low anxiety. He wants players to be excited about playing, citing a team talk given recently by Turner Sports broadcaster Ernie Johnson.

“(He) made an interesting point when he talked to the team,” the coach said. “Do you say, ‘I’ve got to do this?’ Or do you say, ‘I get to do this.’ We get to play. We get the challenges of the season. We get the opportunity to play some great football teams, some on the road, some at home, a great SEC schedule.

“We get to do these things. That’s how I want everybody to look at it so they’ve got a lot of positive energy and enthusiasm to get after it.”

While Saban is working to reduce anxiety among his players, he’s also making them responsible for their playing fate. A media member asked Saban what Jahleel Billingsley needs to do to get back into the regular playing rotation.

The coach said that’s up to the player.

“That’s not up to me,” he said. “He knows what he’s supposed to do in practice. You know, this is not a democracy. Everybody doesn’t get to do what they want to do. Everybody doesn’t get to do what they feel like doing. You’ve got to buy in and do what you’re supposed to do to be a part of the team and do the things you need to do in practice every day.

“(Have a) sense of urgency. Play fast. Execute. Do your job,” Saban said. “It’s a privilege for everybody to go out there and be able to create value for yourself.”

Alabama NewsCenter has posted season previews for all 15 college football programs in Alabama. Read about West Alabama, Tuskegee, Samford, Alabama A&M, Birmingham-Southern, North Alabama, Troy, South Alabama, Miles, Huntingdon, Alabama State, Jacksonville State, UAB and Auburn.