Nick Saban Told a Hilarious Derrick Henry Pass Blocking Story From Time at Alabama

Henry won a Heisman Trophy with the Crimson Tide and remains one of the best running backs in the NFL.

Nick Saban and Derrick Henry both certainly left their mark on Alabama football. / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Former Alabama running back Derrick Henry left an indelible mark on the Crimson Tide football program, capturing the 2015 Heisman Trophy and national championship with his college program.

Henry, who remains one of the best running backs in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, played under legendary coach Nick Saban with the Crimson Tide. Saban, who joined The Pivot Podcast this week with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor, told a great story about Henry as a pass blocker when he first got to Alabama.

"Derrick Henry. Alright, so he's a freshman," Saban began. "We're doing a team pass drill. And he don't know his ass from a handful of sand about pass protection, pass blocking, none of this s---. So the coach is—the offensive coordinator is—he doesn't pick up the right guy or something and the offensive coordinator is getting on him so bad. I'm like, 'I feel sorry for this guy. I'm gonna go, you know, rub his neck a little bit.' And [Henry] looks at me and he says, 'Coach, I don't know anything about any of this s---. All they did in high school was turn around and toss me the ball and tell me to run with it. That's all I know about football. So can you all have a little patience?"

WILD: Nick Saban on Derrick Henry adjusting to college…

“A freshman in a team pass drill, clueless about pass protection. The coach yells, and he tells me, ‘Coach, in high school, they just tossed me the ball and said run. That’s all I know. Be patient”
pic.twitter.com/e3CP5VrhQ3

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 23, 2025

Henry went on later in his career to win the Heisman, Maxwell and of course, a title, one of six that Saban won in Tuscaloosa. A reminder that even one of the best running backs in college football over the last two decades wasn't perfect.

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