Nick Saban says Alabama will use former players on the scout team to prepare for Clemson

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is preparing his team for the College Football Playoff National Championship against No. 2 Clemson. A tool at his disposal is one that allows him to use some of his former Crimson Tide players on scout team to prepare for the upcoming opponent. This week, he told reporters that he will use former Bama players to simulate Deshaun Watson during practice.

Now, it’s unclear who he’ll utilize, but he does have a talented player already on his team who could help — his quarterback, Jalen Hurts. In fact, last year Hurts, who early enrolled at Alabama in January, was used on the scout team to prepare the defense for Watson. The Tide beat Clemson 45-40 in the 2016 National Championship.

But going back to Saban using his former players: he’s done this before this season. Former Crimson Tide quarterback Blake Sims was used to simulate Aggies quarterback Trevor Knight. For Alabama’s game against LSU in November, former Tide running back Trent Richardson and quarterback John Parker Wilson were brought in to simulate LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Danny Etling.

In all three of the aforementioned games, Alabama went 3-0. So you’re probably thinking: How is Alabama allowed to do this? As it turns out, it’s completely permitted under NCAA rules. Alabama is able to have non-students participate in practice thanks to an exception to the practice rules that the NCAA adopted in 2011. NCAA bylaw 14.2.1.6 reads:

A former student at the certifying institution (e.g., former student-athlete) may participate in an organized practice session on an occasional basis, provided the institution does not publicize the participation of the former student at any time before the practice session.

Basically, if a player’s participation is “occasional” and Bama doesn’t tell the public beforehand about alumni at practice, everything’s OK with the NCAA. Any team could do this kind of thing — even Clemson.

The Tigers took advantage of this in preparation for its Ohio State game last Saturday by using former Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd to simulate OSU’s J.T. Barrett. Clemson’s defense held Barrett to just 127 yards passing and two interceptions in the 31-0 victory.

SB Nation’s Richard Johnson asked someone in NCAA compliance at an FBS school in November about whether or not Alabama gets to pay these players.

“Occasional practice by a former student-athlete of the institution is permissible,” they said. “But I’ve never heard of someone paying a former SA. Not sure that would be permissible.”

And in the off chance that one of the players were to get injured?

Bama should be clear, as long as the players signed a waiver.

“They should be completing a release of liability before being allowed to [practice],” the compliance staffer said.

The Tide players are getting good work, too. CB Marlon Humphrey said tackling Richardson as faux Fournette still isn’t exactly a day at the beach.

“I think Trent gave a pretty good look, and John Parker, too,” Humphrey said. “Tackling Trent last week, man, that’s a big guy, man. I think it’s also pretty cool just going against those guys knowing what they’ve done with the program. I have a lot of respect for those guys.”

We’ll see how Alabama does this time around against Clemson after using some former players to simulate Watson. Last year in the 45-40 loss, Watson was still able to throw for 405 yards and four touchdowns against the Tide’s defense.