Clowney says Nick Saban is not the king of football: ‘He ain’t nothing but 5-foot-5’

Alabama coach Nick Saban is known as one of the best recruiters in college football.

Tide fans call him “Lord of the Living Room” for his ability to charm players and their parents.

But Jadeveon Clowney, the nation’s No. 1 recruit in 2010 who signed with South Carolina, was not impressed with Saban or his sales pitch, according to a new book, “Saban: The Making of a Coach.”

After Saban’s in-home visit to Rock Hill in December, 2010, Clowney said the coach did all the talking.

“I don’t see no big deal like everybody else. They’d say, ‘He’s the king of all of football.’ The guy ain’t nothing but 5-5. He’s a short guy. Everybody’s going crazy on Nick Saban.

“He talked the whole time he was there. I was dozing off. He can talk. A lot. He talked for a whole straight hour.”

Clowney said he would have committed “a long time ago” to Alabama if the Tide had run a 4-3 defense instead of a 3-4 defense.

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Clowney says Nick Saban is not the king of football: ‘He ain’t nothing but 5-foot-5’."