Nick Saban May Be 71, But One Alabama Player Says Tide Coach Seems 23 And Is A Fun Guy

Alabama football coach Nick Saban will be 72 on Halloween, and many are doing the math.

Surely, he cannot coach much longer, right?

Even Alabama fans have been concerned that he might be losing it, particularly after the loss to Texas this season and an unimpressive win over South Florida.

Nick Saban is 71 and in 17th season as Alabama's coach. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)

ALABAMA FANS WERE ON THE LEDGE BEFORE OLE MISS

But don't say that around Alabama sophomore cornerback Terrion Arnold.

"All that negative and outside noise, I mean people can say he's too old," Arnold said on an ESPN Radio interview this week. "Or, 'He's kind of washed up.' But all that loose slang from today's generation, I don't know how, but coach Saban, he knows all that."

Saban, for example, does use the word "dog" when talking to players, and it's not derogatory. Like, "Hey, dog, how are you?" It is often used instead of "dude."

Nick Saban Doesn't Act His Age, Says Alabama's Terrion Arnold

"When you're talking to him, it's like you're talking to your 23-year-old best friend," Arnold, who is 20, said. "I mean, the dude is really, really funny. He has a personality. And I would say he's a really, really interesting and fun guy to be around."

Saban, fun? Really?

Actually, Arnold is not the first player under Saban to say that. When ESPN announcer Ryan Clark played defensive back for LSU under Saban in 2000 and 2001, he once said Saban was the coolest, 50-year-old white guy he knew.

Arnold says he particularly likes the way Saban carries himself.

"He doesn't really care what other people think because he knows what he's doing," he said. "He always tells us to be confident in yourself."

Arnold praised Saban for his pregame speech before the Ole Miss game last week. After the Crimson Tide's lackluster win over South Florida and the Texas loss, many people thought the Rebels were going to win in Tuscaloosa.

Terrion Arnold Believes In Saban

"What coach Saban was preaching and his message before the game worked very, very well for us," Arnold said. After trailing 7-3 early, Alabama won going away, 24-10, after outscoring the Revels, 18-3, in the second half.

"He got up there, and he told us that he believed in us," Arnold said. "Which is something that most people would say, 'For your coach to say something like that, really should fire you up.'"

But Arnold reacted differently.

"What I tried to preach to the guys was, 'He believes in us. Well, we believe in him, too,'" he said. "That goes a long way. I was like, 'Coach, we're going to go out there and put everything on the line for you.'"

Arnold made eight tackles and intercepted a pass.

No. 12 Alabama (3-1, 1-0 SEC) next plays at Mississippi State (2-2, 0-2 SEC) on Saturday (9 p.m., SEC Network).