Nick Saban Applauds Former Alabama Players for Supporting His Kids Foundation

Nick Saban is back on the golf course for a cause that has outlasted his coaching career.

The former Alabama coach hosted the 20th annual Nick's Kids Foundation Golf Tournament at the Old Overton Club in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 19. The event has become a fixture on the state's offseason calendar.

What stood out to Saban this time was not the turnout or the total raised. It was watching the players he once coached become the kind of people who now run their own charities.

How Saban's former players give back

Saban framed the player involvement as a ripple effect he never planned for when he and his wife Terry started the tournament.

"I think an unintended consequence of this is we have a lot of players who have foundations now because they had the experience of giving back and helping Nick's Kids when they were student athletes," Saban said.

“Derrick Henry gives a book bag to all the kids that we have at our Nick's Kids luncheon, the first day of fall camp.”

Nick Saban on how his former players at Alabama continue to give back to the Nick’s Kids Foundation. pic.twitter.com/HqhaHTV8II
— Justin Smith (@Jdsmith31Smith) May 19, 2026

He pointed to former Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry as an example, noting that Henry donates books to children at the foundation's luncheon on the first day of fall camp.

That detail matters on a national level. The transfer portal and name, image and likeness era has reshaped how programs sell themselves to recruits, and Saban is making the case that the lessons stick long after the eligibility runs out. It is a recruiting pitch dressed as a charity event.

Nick's Kids Foundation 20-year impact

The foundation has funneled millions into projects across Alabama, including Habitat for Humanity homes, a children's learning center and work tied to a juvenile detention center.

Saban kept the focus off the dollar figure when asked what the total means to him.

"The dollars really don't matter," Saban said. "You get a lot more out of what you give than what you get."

Former Heisman winner Mark Ingram was spotted at the club, along with Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne, defensive coordinator Kane Wommack and quarterbacks coach Bryan Ellis. The current staff presence underlines a point worth making nationally. Coaching transitions rarely preserve a predecessor's pet causes, yet Kalen DeBoer's program has kept showing up.

Saban gave the school credit for that continuity. "If it wasn't for the University of Alabama and the football program, we couldn't do it," Saban said.

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