Henry Ruggs, wide receiver
“Freshman year against Arkansas I muffed two punts," Ruggs said. “I got the first one back. The second one I ended up losing. That was a time he came at me and let me know some things. That didn’t end too well.”
Ruggs thought of a second one well documented.
“What game was it?” Ruggs asked. "I want to say Clemson in the Playoff, the semifinal game (in 2018). We were up and I guess we threw a pass and he ended up getting ran over on the sideline. He went to Coach Daboll and let him have it because he wanted to run the ball and run the clock out and we threw a pass. I just feel like it was because he got ran over.”
Jedrick Wills, offensive lineman
“One day in fall camp last year, we came out for training camp,” he recalled. It was like 110 degrees. Coach Saban was out there doing what he does. ... He had some old tennis shoes he wore. He had them for a couple of years. Really broken in. They had actually thrown away his old ones and got him the same pair, but they were a new pair. When I tell you, he did not like that one, it was like a volcano erupted on the field.
“I don’t know if he’s superstitious, if they are magic or if they just fit well, that is not a person I’d want to mess with.”
Wills also remembered when Saban’s frustration was directed at him.
"We were playing Oklahoma last year, there was a play in the third quarter and we’re up two or three touchdowns. Dominating the game. We had a third-and-short situation. Damien Harris was the running back and got a foul start. Came back the next play, I got a false start. Then, we came back on the third play - and at this point it is probably third and 27 - then they give me an illegal formation. They said my helmet was behind the center. So, it was back-to-back-to-back penalties, and I got two of them.
“The headset he left in shambles. I’m not sure if he jumped on it or kicked it.”
Wills’ memory of the series is close.
The Tide was leading Oklahoma 31-10 in the second quarter against Oklahoma in December 2018. The Tide went on a 12-play, 55-yard drive, which ended in a field goal. In that drive, the Tide had four penalties, three from Wills. Of his three, two were on back-to-back plays. Harris was called for a false start on fourth-and-1, which resulted in having to send the field goal unit onto the field.
Jerry Jeudy, receiver
"During practice, someone brought him the wrong (straw) hat, and it didn’t fit. So, he got real mad and started yelling about his hat.
“Somebody brought him that hat, and I guess it was too small. He had a yelling tone, ‘It can’t fit.’ I think he was already aggravated about something, so he blew it out of proportion when it came to the hat.”