Nick Saban Reacts to Firing of Jimbo Fisher, Zach Arnett

Two SEC head coaches have been let go over the last two days.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The coaching carousel has already started spinning for the 2023 college football season. And it has affected two programs in the SEC.

Over the last two days Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher and Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett were relieved of their coaching duties, ironically after facing each other Saturday in a 51-10 win for the Aggies. 

Monday morning, Alabama head coach Nick Saban, the longest-tenured coach in the SEC and one of the longest in the country, reacted to the news.

“I don’t ever like to see anybody get let go, or whatever you want to call it in this business," Saban said. "I know how hard everybody works. I know how difficult it is to build a program, to get players to compete at a high level on a consistent basis. Just have a lot of respect for people who really work hard to try to change the lives of the guys that they're coaching and make them better people. Help them do the right things in terms of getting an education, as well as trying to develop them on football field.

“But we are in a business that you get evaluated based on outcomes and your performance. I hate to see anybody have to go through this. I’ve been fired before. It’s no fun. It’s no fun for your family. But I'm sure that both those guys have great reputations in terms of what they've been able to accomplish over the course of their career. And I'm sure they'll have many more opportunities to be successful in the future.”

Alabama beat both Texas A&M and Mississippi State this season. Fisher was in his sixth season as the Aggies head coach, while it was Arnett's first full season. Fisher served as a Saban assistant at LSU in the early 2000s. 

Alabama Football Has Always Been About the Process, Not First-Year Results