In addition to his seven college football national championships, coaching legend Nick Saban is known for his toughness and the high expectations he set for his players.
Well, those traits came to light recently when Brian Branch, a second-year safety for the Detroit Lions, was interviewed on the “St. Brown Podcast,” which demanded his “best Nick Saban story.”
“Well, you know, I had gotten into it one day at practice,” Branch said while recalling his days in Tuscaloosa. “And it was with Alamin, and he had kinda hit me and snubbed me. His other offensive lineman came in and snuck me in there.
“The other partner came and it was like a defense vs. offense brawl, with the scout team offense, and Coach Saban got in and snuck a little punch with the offensive linemen.”
Apparently, Saban was defending Branch, who helped the Tide to the mountaintop in 2020, and earned first-team All-American honors in 2022, against Alabama’s largest and most powerful players back then.
“It probably just felt like a slap (to them),” Branch said.
Branch played in 12 games during his freshman season at Alabama and made 27 tackles with seven pass break-ups and two picks, and hasn’t looked back.
The Lions, arguably the best team in football, picked Branch 45th in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Todderick Hunt covers Sports and Culture and Recruiting. Have a story idea or a tip? He can be reached at [email protected].
