TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — This has been an offseason filled with questions for Nick Saban.
Who will play quarterback? How will he replace Amari Cooper? Why does the defense keep getting exposed in big games, particularly at the end of the past two seasons?
And that was before the Crimson Tide saw three players arrested in four days last month, including Jonathan Taylor, whose second domestic violence charge in less than a year touched off an unprecedented level of criticism directed at Saban.
But let's be honest: Just about every coach in America would love to have Saban's problems.
In his eight years at Alabama, Saban's teams have won three national titles and three SEC crowns. He also guided the Crimson Tide to an SEC championship game appearance in 2008 after a 12-0 regular season and has won at least 11 games in six of his past seven seasons. And with four straight No. 1 recruiting classes, the Alabama roster is filled with four- and five-star players.
As Saban enters his ninth season in Tuscaloosa — four years longer than he's stayed anywhere else as head coach — he acknowledges these are uncharted waters for him and that the challenge is different than anything he's faced in his Hall of Fame career.
Click here to read more from Chris Low on the new challenges facing Nick Saban.