Josh Jacobs is grateful for Nick Saban’s guidance early on in his career.
The Green Bay Packers running back, 26, told a number of reporters that the legendary NFL coach, 73, helped prepare him — and many University of Alabama freshmen football players — for a professional career, even beyond the field.
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Saban knew the importance of the role media plays in sports, so he required every freshman on the team to take a speech and interpersonal communication class. This helped Jacobs learn how to interact with the media, he said.
“Obviously, y’all got a job to do, too,” he said to reporters, with four or five microphones pointed towards him. “So I try to make it easy for everyone.”
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A key lesson from Saban was that with “wins, losses, you still got to be a pro,” Jacobs said.
Saban coached at Alabama from 2007 to 2023, during which time he won six championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020). He announced his retirement one year ago on Jan. 10, 2024. He now serves as an analyst for ESPN’s College GameDay.
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Prior to his time in Tuscaloosa — where he met and coached Jacobs from 2016 to 2018 — Saban coached at his alma mater Kent State, Syracuse, West Virginia, Ohio State, Navy and Michigan State. In 1988, he shifted from NCAA football to the NFL, where he coached the Houston Oilers and the Cleveland Browns.
Saban then returned to college football, joining Michigan State as head coach in 1995, followed by LSU in 2000. Following a one-year stint with the Miami Dolphins from 2005 to 2006, he began his long tenure at Alabama.
After leaving Alabama, Jacobs signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019 before joining the Packers last year.
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