On behalf of the players, coaches and staff of the Alabama Crimson Tide football program, I would like to welcome everyone back to campus for the start of a new school year. I also want to thank The Crimson White for providing us an opportunity to communicate with the student body by way of this letter. Our students are the lifeblood of the University and it goes without saying that your support and enthusiasm is equally vital to the success of our football program. After a promising start versus Duke in Atlanta last Saturday, I hope everyone is as excited as we are to open the 2019 home football schedule this weekend. We spoke to our team all offseason about re-establishing the “Bama Factor.” I think the Duke game was a good start, however, getting back to Bama Ball doesn’t happen with one game and we still have a lot of work to do as the season progresses.

We are excited to host New Mexico State on Saturday afternoon in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Our coaches and players are looking forward to running out of the tunnel and taking the field in Tuscaloosa for the first time in almost 10 months. One of the key reasons we have been able to build a successful program at Alabama is through the passion and fervor of our fans and, especially, our students over the past 13 years. We are fortunate to have one of the finest stadiums and football game atmospheres in the nation and our students play a critical role in terms of the fun and festive environment they help create on game days. That said, when the students choose to do other things on Saturday or leave early, it creates the opposite effect and the game atmosphere suffers significantly. I truly believe Bryant-Denny Stadium is one of the most challenging places to play in all of college football when our stadium is at capacity and our students are cheering until the clock ticks down to zero and the final whistle blows. It’s nearly impossible to even begin to express just how much it means to our players to have our student sections brimming and enthusiastically vocal from start to finish! Your voice makes an enormous impact on how our team responds each Saturday by creating significant communication and execution issues for opposing teams. 

We have some very exciting home games on the schedule this season and, as I have told our players many times over, the only one that matters right now is the next one and, thankfully, the next one is Saturday. Every game we play at home is on national television and the world gets to see ‘Bama at its best … on and off the field. With that in mind, our student government leadership and athletics administration worked diligently to develop and introduce Tide Loyalty Points. Our football team needs you to attend every game; if you are unable to be at Bryant-Denny Stadium, please consider donating your tickets to another student. We want each and every one of you to be present and giving it everything you’ve got for all four quarters … just like we ask our team to do. Those who follow this protocol will be rewarded with points that will determine your place in line for post-season tickets this year as well as regular season tickets next football season. 

The Crimson Tide football program would not have enjoyed the success we’ve had without the investment of our students, alumni and fans who have made the University of Alabama such a special place. We appreciate the support provided by our students and look forward to seeing everyone at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.

Roll Tide,

Nick Saban

Head Football Coach