HOOVER, Ala. — Alabama coach Nick Saban knows who New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is.
Saban name-dropped Judge to hammer home his point after SEC Media Days on Wednesday while responding to a question from NFL.com's Chase Goodbread on a new rule which allows NFL scouts more access to a limited number of players.
Saban on scouting access at Alabama: "We give the ultimate level of access (to NFL scouts)."#SECMD17
— Chase Goodbread (@ChaseGoodbread) July 12, 2017
Saban used Judge, who has 30 home runs this season and won the Home Run Derby on Monday night, to illustrate hispoint that college football is the NFL's primary developmental tool for young players.
MORE: Is Saban a program killer?
"What people don't realize, is the NFL and football is the only sport that has no developmental league," Saban said. "They have D-league or whatever they call it in basketball, the NHL has a minor league, Major League Baseball has a minor league," Saban said. "Aaron Judge is a pretty good player, but the way I understand it he spent a couple years in the minor leagues. Is that right? He came up, and now he's a rookie who is pretty much a dominant player. Well if that was guy wasn't ready to play in football and he was 22 years old he might not make the team."
So there you have it. Judge's monster home runs have an impact anywhere, even in the SEC.
