All Hogs

Maybe Nick Saban Picked Up Something from Razorbacks

Showing up at Alabama practice exactly what Sam Pittman would do without controversy.

Andy Hodges

Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's been downright interesting over here to watch all the drama around Alabama athletics.

Since Arkansas struggles to beat them at anything (well, other than 10 innings to win a softball game), there has to be something to find to laugh about.

The Razorback coaches all get along pretty well, at least publicly. There's no drama between departments and, by all appearances, it appears to be genuine.

Sam Pittman is a frequent attender at softball games where he is out openly sitting in the stands. He's been spotted at just about every other sport and all the coaches talk about the texts after almost every event among the coaches.

Right now, it's sort of one big happy family, at least among the coaching staffs.

Maybe even Nick Saban noticed over in Tuscaloosa.

While everyone loves to automatically assume that Saban runs every department with Crimson Tide athletics because he is the best coach in college football history, it's doubtful he really wants to do that. The second-best coach in history tried it and probably found it to be a giant pain in the neck. Bear Bryant wanted everybody to win.

The guess here is so does Saban. A winning attitude from the head of the university to the lowest employee on the totem pole tends to infect every sport sooner or later.

Saban showed up at Nate Oats' last practice in Tuscaloosa before the set out for the Sweet 16 in Louisville, Kentucky, this week.

At a press conference this week, Saban was discussing suspending one of his players and actually used the "wrong place, wrong time" phrase Oats used about the whole Brandon Miller jumping up and down a couple of weeks ago.

Somehow, people jumped in thinking now that Saban has weighed in, that's the law running everything down at Alabama.

But you really have to be ready to put every decision in the athletic department on the football coach. The guess here is Saban probably has an opinion on the whole Miller deal, but he's trying to figure out how to win another title. That's simply who he is.

While there was some speculation about what happened with Miller will affect every sport's recruiting in Tuscaloosa.

Like everybody else, I've read all about what's been out there and reported and have an opinion. But that's a problem for them to deal with over in Alabama.

For now, though, over here in Fayetteville we don't have to worry about any veiled comments being thrown about one coach with the Hogs directed at another one.

Arkansas divider

HOGS FEED:

MIKE ANDERSON HAS LEGITIMATE ARGUMENT TO MAKE WITH ST. JOHN'S OVER FIRING "FOR CAUSE"

NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUND: SEC EDITION

DAVE VAN HORN GETS WIN NO. 1,400 HEADING INTO SHOWDOWN WITH NO. 1 LSU

SABAN PROVES ARKANSAS HAS SOMETHING ALABAMA DOESN'T IN LATEST PRESS CONFERENCE

NATIONAL CELEBRITY HELPS ARKANSAS SOCIAL MEDIA STAR TO LAS VEGAS FOR SWEET 16

RAZORBACKS ADVANCE TO SUPER 16 WITH BIG WIN OVER STEPHEN F. AUSTIN ON MONDAY NIGHT

STATE OF ARKANSAS CRIED ALONG WITH DEVO DAVIS AFTER WIN OVER KANSAS

SANOGO ISN'T BIGGEST THREAT HOGS FACE IN SWEET 16 AGAINST UCONN

WATCH: HOGS' FORWARD KAMANI JOHNSON PREVIEWING THURSDAY MATCHUP WITH UCONN IN SWEET 16

WEGNER'S RECORD SETTING HOME RUN COMPLETES SWEEP OF AUBURN

YOU DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD GET EASIER FOR RAZORBACKS DID YOU?

HOGS' COACH ERIC MUSSELMAN HAS ACCOMPLISHED WHAT ONLY ONE OTHER COACH HAS DONE AT ARKANSAS

HOGS WILL NEED TO SUMMON INNER JOKER TO TAKE OUT JAYHAWKS' BATMAN AND ROBIN DUO

HUNTER HOLLAN, HAGEN SMITH COMBINE TO START SEC PLAY WITH WIN OVER AUBURN

DEFENSE REASON FOR TWO BIG MOVES BY RAZORBACKS IN WIN OVER ILLINOIS

MUSSELMAN KNOWS PAST MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR THIS YEAR IN NCAA TOURNAMENT

BRAZILE SAYS 'I COULD PLAY RIGHT NOW' HEADING INTO NCAA TOURNAMENT

NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET

ARKANSAS BASEBALL SCHEDULE

FAYETTEVILLE WEATHER UPDATE

Arkansas divider

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Andy Hodges
ANDY HODGES

Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.