Playing for Nick Saban has to be one of the most egregious things any athlete can experience, for good reason. The demand, expectations, pressure, and attention to detail can be too much for 99% of college players. Simply put, it’s not for the faint of heart. One former LSU Tigers legend nearly quit football because of it.

LSU legend and Steelers DB Ryan Clark was this close to quitting football while playing for Nick Saban at LSU because of Saban’s almost-insane expectations to perfect every play during a bowl practice in Clark’s junior year.

“First year there, I was all SEC. They (ran) motion back to doubles, and I was a little late in the check. He starts to, like, scream at me. ‘I got you, coach.’ I kind of cut him off because I knew the check, I was just late, Ryan Clark said on the ‘Down 2 Business podcast’ when asked about the impact of tough-love coaching.

He goes off for me, bro, I’m about to walk out done. I’m not playing for this dude anymore.”

Clark felt like he was one of the best players on the defense and couldn’t understand why his coach was constantly singling him out for criticism and yelling for minor mistakes. Feeling underappreciated, he was ready to say adios to Saban football until he got called into the office the very next day.

The two had a heart-to-heart meeting in Saban’s office. Saban explained his logic: “He tells me, ‘I’m coaching everybody through you. If I get on my best players, if I am hard on the players on this team, who we can count on, who are accountable, then the others know that they have to be as well.’”

He basically said he couldn’t lose the other guys, so he had to coach Clark extra hard to get his message across to the entire squad that Nick is all business.

Clark didn’t like the method at the time and wished Saban had explained it to him up front. But looking back on it now, after a long 13-season NFL career where he won a Super Bowl, Clark totally gets it. He credits tough-love coaching with a valuable lesson:

“They always tell you when your coach ain’t talking to you, that’s when you have to worry. But it was something I learned about right understanding. Knowing the people are around in order to lead them in the correct way.”

While their relationship as player and coach started rough, it eventually developed into mutual respect. But Ryan Clark and Nick Saban’s indifference goes a long way back.

Nick Saban’s advice worked out in Ryan Clark’s favour in the end

Nick Saban and Ryan Clark didn’t always see eye to eye. When Nick Saban joined LSU in 2000, Clark was already a junior and played safety. Saban also wasn’t the same coach we see on College GameDay today, so it took some time for the two to settle their differences.

During his time with Saban, Clark was a standout on defense, starting 36 straight games at free safety and even earning Second-Team All-SEC honors in 2000. When things became too demanding, Clark didn’t hold back one bit.

“I used to think that man was a turd because he was constantly on me,” said Clark.

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Clark went undrafted in the 2002 NFL draft, which must have been a letdown. But he quickly signed as a free agent with the New York Giants. As time went on and Clark made it in the pros, he totally understood Saban’s method. In the end, it all paid off.

Saban always told his players they would have long NFL careers if they listened to him, a prediction that definitely came true for Clark. Even today, Clark, once in a while, speaks about Saban and his methods and how they really changed his life and career for the better.