How Nick Saban Tried to Recruit NiJaree Canady to Alabama Softball

When NiJaree Canady entered the transfer portal after leading Stanford to back-to-back Women’s College World Series (WCWS) appearances, it was inevitable that her phone was going to blow up.

The 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, who owned a 0.67 ERA with 555 strikeouts across 365 innings as a Cardinal, would stand out to any college coach.

One veteran in the collegiate landscape, who has no relation to the game of softball, wanted Canady at his beloved campus, and he was going to make the important phone calls.

Nick Saban, the retired Alabama football coach and current ESPN analyst, revealed on Friday during the Pat McAfee Show that he assisted Alabama head softball coach Patrick Murphy in getting Canady to Tuscaloosa.

“I actually talked to her on the phone, trying to recruit her to come to Alabama,” Saban said on the show.

Canady ultimately ended up at Texas Tech, becoming the first $1 million softball player off an NIL contract with the Matador Club, the Red Raiders' collective.

McAfee was in Lubbock for the Texas Tech vs. BYU football game and brought Saban on the show to discuss the matchup. The two discussed how the success of the football program is changing the atmosphere in Lubbock, which led to the conversation on Canady’s impact on softball.

“The window people view the university through is the athletic program,” Saban said.

When McAfee asked Saban if things had changed when Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell got involved, Saban laughed, “He’s a much better closer than me.”

Canady has since completely flipped the program and led the Red Raiders to a runner-up appearance in the 2025 WCWS. The Big 12 Player of the Year played in 61 games, starting 56 of them, and made 46 appearances in the circle. She finished the season with a 34-7 record and a 1.11 ERA and 319 strikeouts.

Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco has even managed to revolve the upcoming 2026 season around Canady’s senior year, crafting a lineup that is sure to secure her and the team more accolades.

Alabama has quite the esteemed softball program of its own under Murphy, who has been at the helm for 27 seasons. The team has made every NCAA Tournament since 1999 and has 15 WCWS appearances, with one championship in 2012.

If Saban did have enough sway to get Canady with the Crimson Tide, anyone would have to imagine that Alabama would be going further in the NCAA Tournament, if not making a push for a second national championship.

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