Nick Saban has discussed "the process" since arriving as Alabama's football coach in 2007.
Two years ago, Saban introduced "rat poison" to the sport's vernacular in an attempt to keep his Crimson Tide from getting overconfident, and for years he has shortened "all right" to "aight" when getting a bit irritated in news conferences.
The common theme in Saban's 13th spring in Tuscaloosa has been the "Alabama factor" and how it needs to be re-established after last year's team won its first 14 games but suffered a 44-16 drubbing by Clemson in the national championship game.
"I hear it every day," junior right tackle Jedrick Wills said Friday in a news conference. "It's definitely a lot bigger this year. You just don't want to create any bad habits."
The Crimson Tide held their fifth spring workout Saturday, practicing for two hours in full pads. Redshirt junior linebacker Terrell Lewis did not participate in the portion of practice open to the media.
Saban has used "rebuilding" to describe Alabama's task during the next several months. The Tide had 11 players invited to last month's NFL combine in Indianapolis, and there are seven new assistant coaches.
Though the "Alabama factor" has been attached to those challenges, Saban insists it is not some silly overnight slogan.
"It's been who I am for the last 20-something years," Saban said this past week, "and it's been who we are ever since we've been here. You can ask anyone on the first or second teams we had here, and they can recite and tell you exactly what that is."
Saban does have support in his claim that the "Alabama factor" isn't just a 2018 thing, not that anyone would openly counter the head coach.
"I heard it when I got here and before I got here as a recruit," Wills said, "but it's the main focus right now."
After his team's first spring practice on March 8, Saban said the "Alabama factor" involves tremendous discipline and having responsible and accountable players who always place the team first. Humility is a requirement regardless of how much success a player has enjoyed in the past, and the focus of each player should always be on the process and not the outcome.
The "Alabama factor" has yielded a 137-15 record the past 11 seasons with six Southeastern Conference championships and five national titles.
"I'm hearing it a lot now," junior safety Xavier McKinney said. "I didn't hear it as much last year, but I hear it a lot now."
Said Saban: "It's not a slogan. It's really what this program is built on."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.