Nick Saban’s Alabama run is defined by his 7 National Championships, 9 SEC titles, and 6 Heisman Trophy winners. But these legendary achievements were possible due to the former HC’s obsession with process, especially when it came to hiring the right people.
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While most programs cycled through assistants hoping chemistry would click, Saban treated staff building like game planning, leaving almost nothing to chance.
Former Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley recently pulled the curtain back on this approach. And in doing so, he revealed why being interviewed by Saban felt more like an extended psychological evaluation.
Appearing on Next Up with Adam, Locksley recalled how Saban handled his interview process, and it was unlike anything he’d experienced before.
“I went through an interview process with Coach Saban, where he buys you a one-way ticket. You’re there for four days, five days. When you’re there, he kind of gets you around everybody in the program. You get a little piece of it,” Locksley said.
There was no quick sit-down, no resume-based evaluation. Instead, Saban immersed Locksley inside the Alabama ecosystem, letting him observe how the program functioned at every level, from staff interactions to player routines. And that philosophy clearly stuck with Locksley.
When he took the Maryland head coaching job in 2019, Locksley borrowed directly from Saban’s blueprint. Rather than imposing his own vision immediately, he started by listening.
“I met with every player that was in the program from the minute, the day after I accepted the job. I asked two questions. What do you like most about the Maryland football program? And what things do you hate most about the Maryland program? I was able to learn a lot,” the ex-Alabama OC explained.
Nick Saban taught Mike Locksley this without ever saying it out loud.
When you interview with him, it’s not a meeting, it’s an immersion.
Four days. One-way ticket. You live inside the program.That’s how you really evaluate culture.
When he took my next job, I borrowed that… pic.twitter.com/mT0ifgMjjq
— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman81) December 23, 2025
It was a simple exercise, but one that gave Locksley what he called a “barometer” for where to begin rebuilding. And ironically, that same instinct for fit and alignment is exactly why he turned out to be one of Saban’s most impactful hires.
In 2018, Locksley served as Alabama’s sole offensive coordinator and orchestrated one of the most explosive offenses in college football history. The Crimson Tide averaged 47.9 points per game, set school records for total offense, passing yards, and offensive touchdowns, and went 13-0 in the regular season behind Tua Tagovailoa.
Locksley’s work even earned him the Broyles Award and ultimately catapulted him into the head-coaching role at Maryland.
But despite all this, what makes that success more fascinating is that even Saban himself has admitted uncertainty about hiring. “I wish someone would start a class,” the legendary Alabama HC once said when discussing assistant coach evaluations, acknowledging how difficult it is to truly know someone in a short window.
This is perhaps why Saban’s interviews became communal experiences. Former assistants have described marathon chalk talks, scheme teaching sessions, and long days of interaction with strength coaches, trainers, analysts, and even non-football staff.
And then there’s the infamous final test.
According to Mario Cristobal and others, being invited to dinner with Miss Terry Saban was often the clearest signal that things were going well. Because Saban valued her instincts deeply, believing that how a coach carried himself socially mattered just as much as Xs and Os.
Call all of these unconventional or head-scratching methods, but what’s undeniable is that all of them worked exactly as intended. And in stories like these lies Nick Saban’s greatness.
