"First of all, I have no issues or problems with Jimbo," Saban said when the inevitable question finally came at SEC Media Days Tuesday. "He's done a great job at A&M and he did a great job for us. I always take criticisms or whatever in a positive way to self-assess me personally to feel like there is maybe something I can do better."

The "criticism", of course, came in the form of Fisher's press conference after Saban accused A&M of "buying every player" on its roster. A&M's coach, in turn, called Saban a narcissist who "thinks he's God."

The two programs should be among the best in the nation this year and, after losing in the national championship game to Georgia last year, Alabama is gearing up for another run at a title.

"We've had a really good off-season with our team. We had a good summer with our players. I think our team has made improvements and progress in a lot of areas, whether it's physical development, attitude development, and trying to develop a mindset that will allow us to have good team chemistry in the future," Saban said.

The Crimson Tide returns a number of key players, including Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young and defensive end Will Anderson, who could be the top overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Saban said Alabama is fortunate to have both of them back.

"These guys have not only been great players, they've contributed from a leadership standpoint probably as significantly as any leaders that we've had - and we've had some really good leaders in our program and organization," he said. "I'm really excited about having these guys on our team. You couldn't ask for two better people. I've always said that when the best players on your team are really good people with great attitude and great mindset, it's really helpful to developing the type of team chemistry you need to have a successful team."

Still, the Crimson Tide will have to fill some holes, especially at wide receiver and on the offensive line. Saban noted both of those as areas where the team needs to improve.

"It will be a challenge for us to replace the skill players lost, two great receivers on our team last year. We've got some significant challenges in replacing some offensive line people. Bryce Young is a great player, a great leader, a great quarterback obviously. But quarterback is also a position that may be one of the most difficult positions in all of sports to play if you're not surrounded by good people. So the challenge for us is to make sure we do an outstanding job of developing the players around him so that we can continue to be a very productive offensive team," he said. "Defensively I think we've got seven starters back. Again, the biggest challenge is how do we replace the corners that we lost, because corner is probably the one position that puts the greatest restriction on what you can do on defense. That's going to be a significant challenge for us, as well."

Saban noted that he will have both his offensive and defensive coordinators back in 2022, something that has not occurred in recent years. That, he said, will add stability needed in order for the program to succeed.

QB: Bryce Young (Jr.; 6, 194)

RB: Jahmyr Gibbs (Jr.-TR.; 5-11, 200)

WR (X): Jermaine Burton (Jr.-TR.; 6, 200)

WR (Z): Ja'Corey Brooks (So.; 6-2, 196)

WR (H): Tyler Harrell (Jr.-TR.; 6, 197)

TE: Cameron Latu (RS-Sr.; 6-5, 244)

LT: Tyler Steen (Sr.-TR.; 6-5, 315)

LG: Emil Ekiyor (RS-Sr.; 6-3, 307)

C: Darrian Dalcourt (Sr.; 6-3, 305)

RG: Javion Cohen (Jr.; 6-4, 303)

RT: JC Latham (So.; 6-6, 326)

DE: Justin Eboigbe (Sr.; 6-5, 292)

NT: DJ Dale (Sr.; 6-3, 300)

DE: Byron Young (Sr.; 6-3, 292)

JACK: Will Anderson (Jr.; 6-4, 243)

WILL: Jaylen Moody (RS-Sr.; 6-2, 225)

MIKE: Henry To'oto'o (Sr.; 6-2, 228)

SAM: Dallas Turner (So.; 6-4, 240)

STAR: Brian Branch (Jr.; 6, 193)

CB: Kool-Aid McKinstry (So.; 6-1, 188)

FS: DeMarco Hellams (Sr.; 6-1, 208)

SS: Jordan Battle (Sr.; 6-1, 206)

CB: Eli Ricks (Jr.-TR.; 6-2, 190)

Sept. 3: Utah State

Sept. 10: @Texas

Sept. 17: ULM

Sept. 24: Vanderbilt

Oct. 1: @Arkansas

Oct. 8: Texas A&M

Oct. 15: @Tennessee

Oct. 22: Mississippi State

Nov. 5: @LSU

Nov. 12: @Ole Miss

Nov. 19: Austin Peay

Nov. 26: Auburn