Nick Saban explains impact for Alabama program to play in Tampa Bay

The Alabama Crimson Tide (1-1) football team is licking their wounds after a 34-24 loss to the Texas Longhorns (2-0) last week. That’s a rare sight in the Nick Saban era.

You simply don’t see Alabama football lose by double digits at home under Saban. It was the very first double-digit home loss in the Nick Saban era in Tuscaloosa. It was also the first home loss since he took the head coaching job with Alabama — dating all the way back to 2007.

This weekend, the Tide will look to rebound in a big way as they take on the South Florida Bulls in Tampa, Florida. In his press conference on Wednesday evening, Saban knows the spotlight in Tampa is big for recruiting for his team, but only if they play well.

Nick Saban on the impact of playing in Tampa for recruiting

“I think any time you play on the road and you play a quality opponent, which I think these guys have made tremendous improvement in their team and the quality of players and all of that. I mean, it’s a game that’s gonna be on TV. It’s a good market for our fan base, central Florida. So, I think it’s all good,” Saban began on Wednesday evening.

“But I think, it’s only good if you play good. I mean, image is something that you’ve gotta work to really have in terms of what I talked about before in terms of standard, how you play, and the things that you do. So, that pride in performance is going to be important no matter where we play.”

Saban currently has one commitment from the Tampa Bay area in his 2024 class, Tampa Catholic cornerback Jameer Grimsley. He’s currently ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 160 overall player in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

One of their most prized recruits in the 2023 cycle, five-star+ defensive lineman Keeon Keeley, also hails from Tampa, Florida. He attended Berkley Prep.

According to the On3 Industry Rankings, Keeley was rated as the No. 2 overall prospect in America. He was devastatingly dominant during Berkley Prep’s nationally televised showdown with Isidore Newman, who had Arch Manning under center at the time.

Kickoff between the Crimson Tide and Bulls is set for 3:30 p.m. EST live on ABC. The game will be played inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this article.