What Alabama Players Learned from All-Star Lineup of Fall Camp Speakers
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The average college student would be thrilled with the opportunity to meet just one NBA champion, Olympic medalist, ESPN host, MLB legend or NFL great.
For the Alabama football players, that's just another week in fall camp.
There's no question that fall camp is grueling time for the Crimson Tide players, especially with heat indexes regularly above 100 degrees this August. But because of the success and connections Nick Saban has, the team has an all-star lineup of speakers to hear from each season.
This year's speakers included Pete Rose, C.L Shepherd, Inky Johnson, Doc Rivers, Michael Strahan, Ken Griffey Jr. and Sage Steele. In the past, Alabama has brought in people like Michael Phelps, Larry Fitzgerald, Charles Barkley, Maria Taylor and Kobe Bryant.
"We try to get the best speakers that we possibly can that address issues that we're facing in college football as well as people who can help create a mindset that's going to help you be more consistent so that you can get the results that you want relative to the commitments that you make," Saban said at the beginning of camp. "So and I think we have a really good blend of all those types of people."
With classes at the University of Alabama beginning Wednesday, the players have now shifted from camp mode to game prep mode, but some of the messages and lessons from the speakers will carry over into the season.
For junior outside linebacker Dallas Turner, the speaker that resonated with him the most was Rivers, the longtime NBA coach and player. He connected with Rivers' message about the 2008 Boston Celtics team that brought in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join Paul Pierce that went on to win an NBA championship.
"He said everybody had to sacrifice something," Turner said. "They had to sacrifice something to get to where everybody wants to go. Paul Pierce being on that Celtics team, you know, he was a star player, and he had to cut back on the amount of shots and touches he had because he had guys like KG and Ray Allen and stuff like that. So I feel like if everybody sacrifices one thing, whether it’s on or off the field— everybody just plays their role, the sky’s the limit."
The biggest connection offensive lineman Darrian Dalcourt made from all the speakers Saban brought in? It was a group of winners. The people who spoke all know what it takes to succeed.
"A lot of people who excelled at their profession," Dalcourt said. "I would say just how you dominate each aspect of how you live, that’s what they talked about. Whether it’s on the field or off the field, dominate and how that connects to every aspect.”
Defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe's biggest takeaway was mental focus and preparation. It's easy for the players to get distracted with outside noise or fall into bad routines, but mental focus is required to have ultimate success.
"A lot of people look forward to the first game or look forward to the games that a lot of y’all guys have highlighted throughout the season," Eboigbe said. "But take each and every day as its own. Have the importance that this day, insist [on] improving upon whether it’s not all 11 getting to the ball, not getting turnovers, not everybody taking attempts at the ball, getting your hands up in the quarterback’s face to obstruct his vision. Just improve upon those things each and every day and having the focus upon that to maintain a level of focus throughout each day."
Speeches are good, but now the Crimson Tide players will have to put what they've learned into practice, both figuratively and literally. Like the speakers, Alabama has experienced a lot of success, but currently only players on the roster entering their fourth season or older have won a national title with the Crimson Tide.
Time will tell if the messages and foundations laid during fall camp will lead to championship success for the 2023 Alabama football team.
See also:
Dallas Turner Says Alabama QB Battle is 'Iron Sharpens Iron Everyday'
Alabama Football Welcomes Pete Rose to Speak to Team in Fall Camp
Who Does Nick Saban Wish He Had Back from the Portal? Just A Minute
