A Bama 3-Putt
We were all in position. Four balls on or just short of the green.
As we walked up, Coach Saban slowed a step, turned slightly toward Paul, and gave me a lingering look. Not hostile. Just… reassessing me.
Paul caught it and gave the smallest of nods.
Then, in one of golf’s great moments of undeserved confidence, Paul improbably chipped his ball within five feet of the pin, which he exclaimed, “Look at that shit Boys!” Pronouncing it as Bois.
Silence almost followed — until Finebaum muttered something about how DeBoer would’ve three-putted that gimme without a doubt. Everyone, including Coach, laughed.
Coach continued staring at me. Unsure if I could be trusted to keep quiet.
“He’s good,” Finebaum said, nodding at me. “He knows when to listen.”
That seemed to be enough for the Coach.
A Grocery List
Paul muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear:
“Hell, Indiana didn’t just beat us… they looked like us, except a helluva lot older. Like they hacked our game plan off of the damn cloud and ran it better.”
Coach didn’t bite on that bait right away. Just gave a dry half-smile and adjusted his glove.
Without prompting, Coach said, “Fellas, with this NIL and portal nonsense, you had to expect some drop-off in our talent and performance. I’m not saying my Process was perfect, but it won championships. It was very successful,” he added with a chuckle. “In this NIL era, there’s no such thing as failproof. And like you said, Paul — if you can figure out how to hack someone’s practice tape, you might as well be coaching at Indiana.”
He didn’t say DeBoer’s name. He didn’t have to because we all knew the score.
Coach gave a small shrug, a wink, and the slightest hint of a grin—like he was trying to sound generous but couldn’t help himself.
“I don’t think he’s (DeBoer) far off,” he added. “He just needs to upgrade a few key pieces.”
Then, with his gloved hand, he ticked them off like items on a short grocery list:
“A Running game with a pulse would be nice. Maybe find a competent O-line coach. There has to be a DC out there who can teach the kids how to tackle. And he has got to stop dressing like a homeless man from Wetumpka. ”
He added, “Look, I’ve said this before—Alabama spends more on football than anyone. But somehow it’s the teams with the smallest budgets making the final rounds of the playoffs. There is no reason for Texas Tech being ranked higher than us.”
Then he glanced over, a little quieter now. “I tried to give the program some top cover at the network and with the committee (Playoff Selection). I never once picked against ’em. In the close games. Sure, I had to act like they might lose—but I always carried the water for him and the University.”
Nxt: Coach Saban didn’t commit to anything—not yet. But he was listening.
And the Booster hadn’t even delivered the full pitch.
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