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When watching Alabama’s Thursday afternoon practice, ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe noticed something from senior defensive end Jonathan Allen -- one of the senior leaders for the Crimson Tide.
She shared what she saw Thursday evening as the media guest on Nick Saban’s weekly radio show.
“Today in practice, I was really impressed. Jonathan Allen was over there, and he got into it with somebody,” Rowe said. “He was very harsh with this kid. I’m not going to say who, but one of the things he said to him was ‘that is a selfish mentality.’
“And I’m like, ‘Here is this kid in the middle of practice trying to teach other people how to have a team-first mentality and really bring it at practice. So to your concern, coach, of is their attitude right, is their energy right looking past what they did at LSU moving into this next challenge, I liked what I saw from Jonathan Allen today.”
Allen has put together a potential Heisman-worthy season along Alabama’s defensive line this year. Leading the team with 11 quarterback hurries, the senior has also recorded 38 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and returned two fumbles for touchdowns
Saban said players like Allen, who the other players respect, can have a greater impact on the team in terms of how they act and what they do, supporting Rowe’s account from Thursday’s practice session ahead of the Mississippi State game.
“It probably means more to you sometimes what your peers think than really what your parents think,” Saban said. “And sometimes they look at the coaches like we’re just, like, the parents, aight. But when your peers tell you all of a sudden that what you’re doing is selfish behavior or that’s not how we do it here at Alabama or this is a better way for you to do it -- the power of one is so important when it comes to leadership.”
For Saban, leadership is more than just standing up in front of a group of people and giving a speech. It’s more about players affecting one player at a time, especially in a team setting. “It’s a work in progress. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
“I think that’s something that we’ve been blessed with here and had a lot of good people, and Jonathan Allen is one of the best at it,” Saban said.
ESPN's Holly Rowe observes Jonathan Allen's leadership firsthand
She shared what she saw Thursday evening as the media guest on Nick Saban’s weekly radio show.
“Today in practice, I was really impressed. Jonathan Allen was over there, and he got into it with somebody,” Rowe said. “He was very harsh with this kid. I’m not going to say who, but one of the things he said to him was ‘that is a selfish mentality.’
“And I’m like, ‘Here is this kid in the middle of practice trying to teach other people how to have a team-first mentality and really bring it at practice. So to your concern, coach, of is their attitude right, is their energy right looking past what they did at LSU moving into this next challenge, I liked what I saw from Jonathan Allen today.”
Allen has put together a potential Heisman-worthy season along Alabama’s defensive line this year. Leading the team with 11 quarterback hurries, the senior has also recorded 38 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and returned two fumbles for touchdowns
Saban said players like Allen, who the other players respect, can have a greater impact on the team in terms of how they act and what they do, supporting Rowe’s account from Thursday’s practice session ahead of the Mississippi State game.
“It probably means more to you sometimes what your peers think than really what your parents think,” Saban said. “And sometimes they look at the coaches like we’re just, like, the parents, aight. But when your peers tell you all of a sudden that what you’re doing is selfish behavior or that’s not how we do it here at Alabama or this is a better way for you to do it -- the power of one is so important when it comes to leadership.”
For Saban, leadership is more than just standing up in front of a group of people and giving a speech. It’s more about players affecting one player at a time, especially in a team setting. “It’s a work in progress. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
“I think that’s something that we’ve been blessed with here and had a lot of good people, and Jonathan Allen is one of the best at it,” Saban said.
ESPN's Holly Rowe observes Jonathan Allen's leadership firsthand
