Nick Saban Jimbo Fisher both miss the mark as they

Alabama coach Nick Saban and Texas AM coach Jimbo Fisher made the busine s of college football recruiting too personal.Saban made that mistake when he said Wednesday night that Texas AM "bought every player" in its 2022 cla s. Fisher responded with in defense of his program. Then he made the same mistake when he directed a series of insults that questioned Saban's succe s over his coaching career.Link to Jimbo Fishers pre s conference: Joseph Hastings (@JosephAHastings) Cue the Michael Jordan "Last Dance" memes.Two wrongs don't make a right, but when it comes to SEC football, this exchange is high-level entertainment. The buildup for at Bryant-Denny Stadium will only continue to amp up. Remember when the kickoff time for Alabama-Texas on Sept. 10 was the hottest debate in college football this week?Nobody cares about that now. Instead, it's "We were second in recruiting last year, AM New York Jets Hoodies Sweatshirts was first," Saban said. "AM bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likene s. We didn't buy one player. But I don't know if we're going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it."'THE HYPOCRISY IS A JOKE': That's where Saban went wrong, even if he did apologize Thursday afternoon in an appearance on SiriusXM Radio after Fisher's pre ser."First of all, I should've never really singled anybody out," Saban said. "That was a mistake, and I apologize for that part of it."Every gripe by Saban induces moans and eye rolls, because he's running the greatest college football dynasty of all time. Alabama has won six national championships and had the top recruiting cla s in college football eight times since 2012. Saban isn't wrong when he laments the lack of parity or equality in the sport, but he's not the best voice to deliver that me sage. His machine is the root cause of that lack of parity.So, what, exactly, is Saban's point of view?Texas AM had the No. 1 recruiting cla s in 2022 and two of the Aggies' five-star recruits had Alabama in their top three. That's not why Saban is being petty, though. Look at the next cla s. and has just three commitments. That has to be a source of frustration for a program that has produced the most NFL talent since Saban's arrival in Tuscaloosa.Saban also took aim at Tyler Conklin Jersey the hottest topic/question about recruiting right now: collectives."I think collectives are the i sue," Saban said. "If alumni give money or money is raised through a collective to give to a player, that's no different than alumni giving the player money. The collective becomes a representative of the school and you can't do that. . . . That's not what name, image and likene s was supposed to be."MORE: This is where Saban can still win. He'll be able to pre s his views on collectives at the upcoming SEC meetings and SEC Media Day. He remains the most influential voice in college football.But being 70 years old and saying what you want isn't an excuse for , for how they handle their recruiting.That's where Fisher took advantage of Saban's mistake.Sort of. He defended his program's recruiting tactics, but he also used his 10-minute se sion to launch an all-out attack on Saban's career without using the coach's name."I don't cheat and I don't lie," Fisher said. "I learned that when I was a kid, if you did, the old man slapped you upside the head. Maybe somebody should have slapped him."He called Saban a "narci sist," compared him to "God" and even threw in a "walk on water" analogy."You coach with people like Bobby Bowden and learn how to do things," Fisher said, referring to his bo s at Florida State. "You coach with other people and learn how not to do things. There's NFL New York Jets Jersey a reason I ain't went back and worked for Saban , with opportunities. I don't want to be a sociated with him."That's not all."We build him up to be the czar of football," Fisher said of Saban, who was his bo s at LSU. "Go dig into his past or anybody that's ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out what he does and how he does it. It's despicable."DeCOURCY: Again, all of that is entertaining, but Fisher went too far. That could come back to bite Texas AM, a program that's in search of its first national championship since 1939.If you slap the king or God, czar or a man who walks on water you best not mi s. AM beat Alabama 41-38 in College Station in 2021. The Aggies haven't won at Bryant-Denny Stadium since Johnny Manziel's magic act in a 29-24 upset on Nov. 11, 2012. One recruiting cla s does not change that.Fisher also could have answered Saban's phone call after Wednesday's comments."He's called," Fisher said. "Not going to (answer). We're done. He shows you who he is. He's the greatest ever, huh? When you've got all the advantages, it's easy."For everything Fisher had to say about Saban, he didn't offer much when asked about collectives, NIL or the future of college football recruiting in an unchecked marketplace that is entering Year 2.The Aggies are ranked No. 14 in the according to 247Sports.com. Texas Tech is No. 2. There is a lot more uncertainty right Corey Davis Jersey now. Texas is coming to the SEC soon. Texas AM has a lot on its plate that has nothing to do with Alabama.Fisher, for all of his viral quotes, also mi sed the mark. Saban is in favor or NIL, after all."I really wasn't saying anybody was doing anything illegal," Saban said. "I didn't say that. That was something that was a sumed from what I said. There's nothing illegal about doing this. It's the system that allows you to do it. That's what I have a problem with."The Southeastern Conference on Thursday reprimanded Saban and Fisher for their exchange."Public criticism of any kind does not resolve i sues and creates a distraction from seeking solutions for the i sues facing college athletics today," the conference said in a statement. "There is tremendous frustration concerning the absence of consistent rules from state to state related to name, image and likene s. We need to work together to find solutions and that will be our focus at the upcoming SEC Spring Meetings."Those proceedings will be behind closed doors, and suffice it to say SEC commi sioner Greg Sankey will likely remind both coaches that it's strictly busine s from now on. Expect more decorum in Hamsah Nasirildeen Jersey Destin and Atlanta this summer. That won't erase the last 24 hours, though. We now know how Saban and Fisher really feel about each other.It's personal, and it can't be settled on the field. It also might not be the best thing for the sport right now.Both coaches need to remember that next time they want to launch an attack. Related Articles Alabama's Nick Saban warns NCAA's NIL-fueled recruiting boom not 'sustainable' Alabama's Nick Saban laments NIL bidding war for recruits: 'That's where I draw the line' Should Big Ten, SEC join Power 5 m