The college football landscape took a drastic turn in the past 24 hours, with Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher going after each other in a public feud over recruiting and name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.
The feud got kicked off on Wednesday night after Saban accused Fisher that he and his program “bought every player on their team” in reference to the Aggies’ 2022 recruiting class which has eight five-stars and is No. 1 in the country.
Saban backtracked on his comments on Thursday, reaching out to A&M and Jackson State, which he also brought up, and apologizing for bringing up specific programs in his criticism of NIL’s effect. The apology, however, was too late, as Fisher responded in his press conference on Thursday.
“It’s a shame that we have to do this,” Fisher said. “It’s really despicable. It’s despicable that someone can say things about somebody, and more importantly, 17-year-old kids. You’re taking shots at 17-year-old kids and their families that they broke state laws, that we bought every player on this group.”
The banter between the two SEC coaches can be tied back to Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, who has been heavily criticized in the past for his comments about NIL. Most recently, Swinney spoke to ESPN’s Chris Low in April, expressing his displeasure with NIL’s effect on recruiting and college football.
“There’s no rules, no guidance, no nothing,” Swinney said. “It’s out of control. It’s not sustainable. It’s an absolute mess and a train wreck, and the kids are going to be the ones who suffer in the end.”
Swinney has reaffirmed multiple times that he’s okay with players receiving NIL deals, but what he is against is “anything that devalues education.”
With Saban and Fisher’s back-and-forth comments, Clemson players and college football fans weighed in on Twitter to express their thoughts on the controversy and Swinney’s past comments.