“He Deserves it”, Athletes from Michigan, Alabama, and Washington discuss coaching changes at the NFL combine.
In an offseason marked by off-field tumult, the landscape of college football experienced further upheaval in January when three coaches departed from three College Football Playoff programs within a span of 14 days.
On January 10, Alabama’s Nick Saban, widely regarded as one of the most accomplished coaches in college football history, stepped down. Two days later, Alabama announced the hiring of Washington’s Kalen DeBoer as Saban’s successor. Subsequently, on January 24, Jim Harbaugh left the national champion Michigan Wolverines to join the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers.
The departure of these coaches left behind players they had recruited and coached. At the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, prospects expressed sentiments of respect and admiration for their former coaches. Some players found the decisions surprising, while others took it in stride, acknowledging that the exits were business decisions, and there were no hard feelings towards their former mentors.
Alabama’s edge rushers, Chris Braswell and Dallas Turner, offered differing perspectives on their level of surprise at Saban’s retirement. Despite the variance in opinions, both spoke fondly of their former coach, recognizing his six national titles at Alabama.
Braswell expressed shock at Saban’s retirement, initially thinking it was a joke when he saw it on Twitter. In contrast, Turner observed changes in Saban’s approach throughout the season, making the announcement less surprising to him.
Kalen DeBoer’s move from Washington to replace Saban at Alabama presented challenges and caused disruptions at Washington, which had fallen to Michigan in the national title game. The coaching change led to significant turnover, with players entering the transfer portal. Washington’s edge defender Edefuan Ulofoshio empathized with his fellow players, acknowledging the difficulty of the situation but also understanding the coach’s perspective in pursuing personal goals.
Michigan’s players, having experienced previous speculation about Jim Harbaugh’s potential move to the NFL, were not surprised when he returned to the professional level. Harbaugh’s departure followed a successful stint at Michigan, culminating in the team’s first national title since 1997.
Players from Michigan spoke highly of Harbaugh, emphasizing his transparency about his aspirations and expressing happiness for him to pursue his Super Bowl journey in the NFL. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins acknowledged Harbaugh’s deserving of the opportunity and conveyed the team’s collective support for his success at the next level.
