Last spring, Nick Saban joked that he was acting as a graduate assistant for Alabama secondary coach Kirby Smart.

For a GA, he's pretty animated.

For the players, however, the new head coach's presence is both appreciated and necessary. Nowhere in Saban's 3-4 defense are things more complicated than they are in the secondary, where a variety of coverages and calls will be employed. And even the experienced seniors are glad to have the teacher-student ratio cut in half.

"I'm just trying to soak it up," said Simeon Castille. "I think it's great the way he interacts with the defensive backs. He's a defensive-minded guy, and there is so much we haven't even put in yet. … We're just scratching the tip of the iceberg."


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