TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) – Alabama coach Nick Saban won’t be concerned with protege Will Muschamp’s job security once the game against Florida kicks off. Nor will Muschamp have the third-ranked Crimson Tide’s national championship hopes on his mind.
The friends will be all business Saturday when the Gators visit Alabama the Crimson Tide’s SEC opener.
“I never try to make it personal,” Saban said. “We compete against each other and we’re still friends, and that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Their professional situations differ greatly. Saban is the $7 million man who has led the Tide (3-0, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) to three national championships in the last five years. His former defensive coordinator at LSU, Muschamp has the Gators (2-0, 1-0) hoping to stage a big turnaround from an injury-plagued 4-8 season that placed him on the hot seat.
Saban has heaped praise on the job Muschamp has done, said Florida is “as talented probably as anybody that we play this year” and without prompting chastised reporters for underrating the Gators.