BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Nick Saban made it perfectly clear that he will not be attending any satellite camps this offseason.
“We sort of made the decision that it’s more important [to spend time with our players],” Saban said Thursday at a charity event. “Especially in this time period, because there’s only limited time periods in the summertime where we have time to spend with our players.”
Yet, you might have thought the Alabama coach was at Samford’s Mega Camp on Saturday. There was somebody walking around in Alabama gear with the straw hat made famous by Saban. It wasn’t Saban, though. It was Rob Ezell, a former walk-on who joined the Crimson Tide’s support staff this offseason.
Ezell became famous for his impersonation of Saban that first aired on ESPN in 2010, so it was no surprise to see him wearing the straw hat. He also wore an Alabama hoodie with the sleeves cut off, a look that would have made New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick proud.
Ezell was among a handful of Alabama assistants at Saturday’s camp, though no position coaches were there. Coaches from Georgia, Louisville, Mississippi State, Nebraska and Wake Forest also were spotted at the event.