SEC Media Days: Mike Leach Talks Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban Feud
Everyone has an opinion on the feud between Alabama's Nick Saban and Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher. Mississippi State's Mike Leach might be onto something with his thoughts.
Back in May, Saban said at while speaking at an event in Birmingham that the Aggies finished with the No. 1 recruiting class of 2022 by paying players thanks to their use of NIL partnerships. Fisher responded within 24 hours, calling Saban a "narcissist" and stating how the NCAA should "dig into his past" in terms of recruiting.
The NIL factor has changed the way coaches go about recruiting. In a way, Leach can see both sides of the argument.
"They both kind of illustrate the frustration of how things are right now," Leach said. "It's not sustainable, so something's going to change. We haven't defined exactly what is an amateur, a student-athlete, as opposed to a professional. I think we need to do that. I think there is ways to do it."
Saban later apologized for his comments at the SEC Summer Meetings in June for his poor choice of words. He doubled down Tuesday in Atlanta, stating how there are "no issues or problems" with the Aggies' fifth-year coach.
“He’s done a great job at A&M, and he did a great job for us (at LSU)," Saban said. "I always take criticisms or whatever in a positive way, to self-assess me personally, in terms of maybe there is something that I could do better. "
Leach, a longtime head coach at both Texas Tech and Washington State, can see the faults in NIL and how it affects recruiting and the transfer portal. He also pointed out how at the professional level, there are provisions for adding players via free agency due to salary cap restrictions and structured payrolls.
"Go up to your next favorite NFL guy, say, 'Hey, I heard in the NFL they're going to have unmitigated free agency, 365, 24/7,'" Leach said. "'And, by the way, there's not going to be any salary cap or draft, you're just going to have bidding wars.' Just watch the expression on their face. Don't look at anything else or write down any notes because the expression on their face will be well worth it."
Saban and Fisher both have stated that they are looking to move on from the feud and prepare for the impending season. While that might be true, other heated battles between coaches might ensue due to the lack of limits made by the NCAA on future changes to the sport.
"I don't think the dust has settled," Leach said. "We're in a big transition period on a number of things in college football. We got sharp guys actively trying to sort it out."
A&M travels to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa to face Alabama on Oct. 8.
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