The retirement of legendary Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has raised many questions.

Saban himself has stated that name, image, and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal did not influence his decision to withdraw, but he does not question where the University of Alabama is compared to other schools when it comes to NIL. I can't stay.

After the University of Alabama's Rose Bowl loss, the school's NIL group's social media accounts Yes, Alabama He released a video asking for donations, saying fans need to “take this bitter disappointment and use it to benefit NIL.”

Now is not the time to rest. We need your support to build the best NIL program in the country. To achieve this, we need your support. Join now. pic.twitter.com/AtzLbYRz83

— Yeah Alabama (@yea_ala) January 2, 2024

It's no secret that Saban was not a fan of the NIL. But he definitely had the will to adapt to it. But in the days since his retirement, there seems to have been a much bigger push and promotion from a marketing standpoint from Yeah Alabama.

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Even Greg Byrne, who said during the DeBoer search that the criteria for hiring new coaches was the need to “face reality” about how the sport is changing, He has been holding up a Ye Alabama pin for several days now.

During the interview process, how important was it for the University of Alabama's new head coach to embrace the NIL?

“It's better not to be a dinosaur. Whether you like something or not. Whether you dislike something or not. You need to face reality in your actions.” – @Greg_Byrne @yea_ala pic.twitter.com/Uzl8aRTPDX

— Next Round (@NextRoundLive) January 14, 2024

It's no big secret that Alabama is at best at least somewhat behind some of the SEC in terms of NIL money currently being put behind this bunch.

The oil money that exists in Austin or College Station doesn't exist in Tuscaloosa. There's no Jimmy Lane willing to do whatever it takes to get recruits.

Alabama will soon find out that the Saban discount no longer exists. Karen DeBoer may be great, but recruits aren't willing to accept more than they can get elsewhere to go to Alabama.

Nick Saban was great on the field, but his greatest skill as a coach was acquiring talent. And he was able to sell players on the idea that they create value for themselves and ultimately produce more. This was also true during the NIL era.

Mr. DeBoer is entering a new era. If Alabama wants to stay ahead on the field and in its recruiting efforts, it must be prepared to do what it takes to get its new coach the talent it needs to compete in the SEC.

Michael Brauner is a senior sports analyst and contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP