Alex Mortensen, the first-time head coach at UAB, can't help himself. He'll be laying out some football philosophy, breaking down concepts for his Blazers, and then, boom, he's quoting Nick Saban verbatim. That's what nine seasons and three national championships alongside the GOAT himself will do to you; that relentless pursuit of excellence from his former boss has seeped into Mortensen's very core.
The Saban Blueprint, Blazer Style
Mortensen isn't just bringing Saban's words; he's bringing the Saban philosophy, and he's surrounded himself with a crew who speaks that exact same language. His defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham, worked under Saban not once, but twice, at Michigan State and Alabama. Then there's Kevin Garver, the passing game coordinator and receivers coach, and Gordon Steele, the run game coordinator and offensive line coach. Both of those guys were offensive analysts under Saban, too. This isn't just a coaching staff; it's a squad that has seen what it takes to win at the absolute highest level of college football, and they know the "Process" inside and out.
It's always the big question when a Saban disciple goes out on his own: how much of that famous Alabama "Process" do they keep? We've seen guys like Kirby Smart at Georgia and Curt Cignetti at Indiana crush it, each winning national championships by sticking pretty close to the plan. But trying to be a Saban clone when it's not authentic, when it's not truly you, that's where issues pop up. Players and coaches can spot a fake a mile away, and Mortensen knows it.
"Timeless" Principles and a New Twist
Mortensen told CBS Sports that he thinks 80 to 90 percent of what he learned and witnessed at Alabama can absolutely be translated and implemented at UAB. But get this: he's not trying to be a Saban clone. He's smart about it, wanting to keep the aspects of Saban's formula that are "timeless" while evolving and adapting everything else. "You would be foolish not to take the things you learned from him and apply it to your next job," Mortensen said. "I'm not going to try to be him. I'm not going to try to act like him in ways that are phony. I think there are principles in the way he ran the program , organization, leadership, practice organization, all the details , we're definitely going to implement those things."
Look, the differences between Alabama and UAB are obvious. Alabama plays in the SEC, dropped $82.9 million in operating expenses for their 2024-25 fiscal year. UAB, playing in the American, proposed an $11.6 million football operating budget for 2025-26. That's a huge gap, right? But the Saban blueprint has proven it can work outside the Power Four. Billy Napier, a former Alabama receivers coach, went 40-12 over four seasons at Louisiana, basically replicating what worked in Tuscaloosa. So Mortensen's got a real path forward.
What does this mean for UAB? Mortensen's trying to build a winning program from the ground up, blending the best of Saban's detail-oriented "Process" with his own authentic leadership. It's going to be wild to see how he molds this team, taking those invaluable lessons and making them his own. This UAB season is going to be one to watch, seeing just how far those "timeless" principles can take them.
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.