What Do Nick Saban & Dan Campbell Have in Common? Lions Safety Reveals

Best college head coach? Not many would look past Nick Saban. Well, Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch has honed his skills for the big league under that coach, even winning the natty in 2020. Now, he plays in Detroit under Dan Campbell, who hasn’t etched his name among the greats but is surely on his way. For Lions fans, though, Campbell is the GOAT.

So, when Branch made an appearance on ‘NFL Live,’ co-host Dan Orlovsky had one simple question for the safety: What is the one thing that Campbell and Saban have in common? Orlovsky had played with Campbell in Detroit for three years, so it’s more than understandable why he posed this question.

And as expected, Brian had a brief yet perfect answer. “Grit,” he said. “I mean, that hard-nosed football.”

“That’s what both of them resemble. And you know, them preaching that, shoot, I love playing for that,” Branch continued.

 

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It’s quite heartening to see Branch commend both his current and former coaches. However, from a story that went viral recently, the star safety didn’t always have a smooth experience in Alabama.

Brian Branch was once struck by Nick Saban

Branch played with the Crimson Tide for three years, from 2020 to 2022. So, it’s fair to assume the star safety was involved in a few brawls, even with his own teammates. This experience is part of the package, as every college athlete knows. But not many can say they were struck by their head coach.

One day at practice, a lineman hit Branch for an unknown reason, the safety revealed on the St. Brown podcast. One thing led to another — possibly an exchange of words turning to jabs — and it soon escalated into a full-on “offensive-defensive” brawl.

Then out of the blue, Saban apparently “snuck” a punch at Branch in support of the O-line he was brawling with. It was more of a “slap,” Branch clarified.

“Coach Saban snuck a little punch in with the offensive lineman,” the safety said, as per Inside Hook.

However, Branch wasn’t really “fazed” by this incident. He even wanted the story to reach the football world. Perhaps Branch understood that it was just a brawl — nothing more — and that Saban meant no harm, just discipline.