Steve Spurrier Weighs in on Saban-Fisher Drama

Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher got in quite a spat late last week.

It started when Saban accused Fisher of buying his whole recruiting class and Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders of paying his top recruit to play against inferior opponents. Fisher fired back the next morning calling Saban a “narcissist” last Thursday. It ultimately ended with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey issuing a public reprimand of both parties.

However, that didn’t stop former SEC coaching legends like Steve Spurrier from weighing in on the topic. He spoke with DawgNation about it on Friday.

“Did Saban say something that wasn’t true?” Spurrier questioned.

He also said that he didn’t think Saban told any lies and doesn’t think Fisher should’ve become so upset about it. Spurrier added that Fisher has the right to talk smack now after he beat Alabama last season.

At the very least, the two coaches created some entertainment throughout the week but ultimately wasn’t anything more than a pissing contest.

Saban didn’t accuse Fisher of cheating. He just said that Fisher used name, image, and likeness (NIL) to ink his top-ranked recruiting class last cycle. That’s not illegal or against NCAA rules.

It’s only against the rules if a school pays a recruit any amount of money to sign with their program, and Saban didn’t accuse him of that. Fisher likely became agitated because he felt like Saban insinuated that he couldn’t land a star-studded class without utilizing NIL heavily.

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Then in terms of NIL, schools and coaches are more concerned with abiding by their state laws. The NCAA currently has no appetite to go after programs that breaks its rules because they are afraid they will get sued if it does.