Former first-round quarterback tells confident way Nick Saban evaluated his athleticism as a recruit

Nick Saban is known for having an eye for talent. 

The former Alabama head coach also has his fair share of tactics to evaluate this talent.

Two-time Super Bowl Champion, Blaine Gabbert recently shined a light on how confident Saban was in his evaluation tactics while talking on the “Casa de Klub Podcast.” Saban came to his high school to recruit him and asked him to come to the gym. 

“I forget my teacher’s name,” Gabbert said. “He pulls me out of class, we go to the gym, and he’s like, ‘Can you dunk?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, can I get a warm-up?’ So, I dunked. He’s like, ‘all right. That’s all I needed to see.’ I was like, ‘alright, cool.’”

This is a commonly used evaluation tool for college football coaches to evaluate a prospect’s athleticism.

Gafford went on to play for Missouri before being drafted as the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was the back-up quarterback for two Super Bowl winning teams.