Among the Games of College Football, Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher Continue to Play Chess

While the offseason spat might have seemingly been resolved, the game between the coaching duo is far from over.

Author:
Joey Blackwell
Publish date:
Oct 6, 2022 7:00 AM EDT

In this story:

This past spring, there was no budding rivalry more relevant than that between Alabama and Texas A&M.

The battle wasn't between the two football programs going at it on the gridiron, though. Rather, it was a battle of words between each team's head coach.

In one corner of the metaphorical ring, you had Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. It was Saban's remarks at a World Games promotional event that had started the spat.

"We were second in recruiting last year," Saban said. "A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness. We didn’t buy one player. But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it."

In the other corner, you had Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher. Understandably angry at the accusations hurled his way by Saban, Fisher held an emergency press conference that went down as one for the ages.

"It's a shame that we have to do this," Fisher said. "It's really despicable. It's despicable that someone can say something about somebody, more importantly 17-year-old kids. You're taking shots at 17-year-old kids and their families, that they broke state laws, that we bought every player in the group?

"It's despicable that a reputable head coach can come out and say this when he doesn't get his way or things don't go his way. The narcissist in him doesn't allow those things to happen. It's ridiculous, when he's not on top."

Now, almost five months later, both fronts are quiet as the two teams prepare for this weekend's game.

Or are they?

Since those fateful events transpired in May, it seems like Saban and Fisher have reconciled their slights. Saban is now repeatedly on record having apologized for calling out Texas A&M specifically, while Fisher vehemently insists — even as recently as this week — that everything between him and his former boss is water under the proverbial bridge.

"That's over with," Fisher said during his Monday press conference. "He and I, we're in great shape. We're great [with] things and we've moved on."

While the two head coaches might have moved on from their spat, the two teams' fanbases most assuredly have not. While Crimson Tide fans still feel slighted from their team's last-second loss at Bryan-College Station last season, Aggies fans feel just as upset regarding the lingering accusations that Saban threw their way months after the season had ended.

The fur might have stopped flying between the two coaches, but their silence is arguably louder than if the two were still at each others' throats. But why is that?

Early in the second quarter of its game at Arkansas this past weekend, Alabama starting quarterback Bryce Young went down with a shoulder injury and was unable to return to the game. Later that same afternoon approximately 350 miles away in Starkville, Miss., Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson left the game with an injury to his throwing hand.

Neither injury appeared to be season-ending. But that hasn't stopped both coaches from using the opportunity to keep their quarterback situation as close to their chests as possible.

In their Monday press conferences, both coaches' injury updates sounded remarkably similar.

"We'll go day-to-day," Fisher said. "We'll evaluate him as he goes day-to-day."

"He's going to be day-to-day," Saban said. "When he can get back to throwing — we'll just have to evaluate it day-to-day."

The same similar statements occurred on Wednesday.

"We’re going day-to-day with him each and every day,” Fisher said. “I’m sure it’ll get better each and every day, hopefully."

"He's doing some things in practice and he's still listed as day-to-day," Saban said.

Both coaches might be simply holding back from revealing their hands too early. Or there might be more at work here. Both coaches might truly have moved on from their beef, but maybe — just maybe — both are playing a game of chess, not checkers.

Neither coach wants to make the first move. Neither Saban nor Fisher want to move their pieces too early. Both are silently holding back, waiting for the other to make the first mistake. At first, it was the subtle remarks that all had been forgiven by both parties. Now, that same subtleness has evolved into silence regarding their respective teams' quarterback situations.

Both of these coaches want to win this football game, much more than they have ever let on.

Let's face it: no matter how much Fisher and Saban claim to have moved on from this year, they haven't. Their players haven't. Their fans haven't. Heading into this season, the game between the Crimson Tide and the Aggies was set up to be the marquee game of the regular season. And now that we're so close, it's been downgraded by many fans and media members alike to merely a speed bump on Alabama's road to a seemingly inevitable playoff appearance.

Texas A&M losing to Appalachian State and Mississippi State didn't help to hype up the matchup, but let's not forget: the Aggies also lost two games prior to upsetting Alabama last year.

And let's not forget that Fisher was the first Saban assistant to have ever toppled his former boss.

Saban hasn't forgotten about that, and Fisher hasn't forgotten about the spring remarks. While the hype of the game might have died down due to on-the-field action completely unrelated to the two programs' growing spite of each other, the stakes remain the same.

For Saban, it's a chance at resetting what has become the norm at Alabama during his tenure. To maintain balance to what would otherwise be a chaotic SEC West. For Fisher, this weekend's game symbolizes a means to regain a foothold in the division all while achieving some semblance of payback for his rival's offseason remarks.

Just minutes after Alabama had beaten Arkansas, Saban was already keeping mum on the status of preparing different game plans depending on the quarterback under center.

"I don't know, I was going to call Jimbo afterwards and tell him exactly what we would do," Saban joked. "So if he can hear it in the press conference, then I don't have to call him."

Fisher echoed Saban this week regarding his own team's quarterback situation.

“What do you want me to do, call Nick and tell him?” Fisher said jokingly. “I mean, guys, come on man.”

That doesn't sound like two coaches that have moved on.

While the game might not be as significant for the greater world of college football as many believed it would be just a few short months ago, it's still a serious affair for both coaches, both teams' players and both fanbases. This game is just like the SEC tagline says: it just means more.

The game might be settled under the lights of Bryant-Denny Stadium this weekend, but this feud is likely far from over.