Alabama head coach Nick Saban is highly regarded in the coaching world, especially at the college football level. When Saban speaks, the world listens or cower in fear if he is having a bad day. Regardless of the mood or situation, Saban’s words carry a lot of weight. When he pays a compliment, it tends to mean something.
During Wednesday’s SEC teleconference Saban offered words of praise for former Texas Longhorn and Heisman Trophy running back Ricky Williams, suggesting the former NCAA rushing leader has what ti takes to succeed in the college coaching game.
“I think Ricky Williams would be a great coach,” Saban said according to AL.com. “I know that people talk about Ricky Williams for a lot of different reasons, but as a player to coach, the guy was as good a player as you could ever have on the field to coach. He played hard every down. He was a great competitor.”
Saban, of course, coached Williams in the NFL during his brief stint coaching the Miami Dolphins. Williams was on the roster each season Saban was in Miami, before Saban returned to the college game to coach Alabama. Though Saban was at Miami during a troubling time for Williams, the Crimson Tide head coach saw some positives in Williams as a player that he feels could benefit him as a coach.
“I remember standing on the sidelines with him in Miami and I had him and Ronnie Brown and they would alternate, and he was like a little kid in Pop Warner football: ‘When are you going to put me in, coach?’ He loves to play,” Saban said. “He was a great competitor. He’s a very smart guy. He’s very bright. So I think he’d be a really good coach. When he gets experience, having him on our staff someday is certainly something we would consider.”
Williams is a running backs coach for FCS University of the Incarnate Word, located in San Antonio. The Cardinals are off to a 2-1 start and visit Sam Houston State this weekend. Through three games the team is rushing for an average of 4.8 yards per attempt and has scored nine rushing touchdowns. Perhaps Williams is already having an impact. According to the school’s football stats archive, Last year the team averaged 3.3 rushing yards per attempt and scored just seven rushing touchdowns all season long.
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