In 2018

“I can honestly say I was a little disappointed there weren’t more students at the last game,” Saban said at a Wednesday news conference. “I think we’re trying to address that. I don’t think they’re entitled to anything, either. Me, personally, I think it ought to be first-come, first-serve. If they don’t want to come to the game, they don’t have to come. But I’m sure there’s enough people around here that would like to go to the games, and we’d like for them to come, too, because they support the players.”

In 2019

"Everybody wants to be a part of the team," he said. "Everybody wants to be No. 1, but everybody don't want to do what the beast does. Everybody wants to be the beast but they don't want to do what the beast do.

"So everybody's got to make a sacrifice. You want to be the lion? Everybody got to do something. Everybody wants to be No. 1. If I asked that whole student section, do you want to be No. 1? Nobody would hold their hand up and say I want to be No. 4. They would all say No. 1. But are they willing to do everything to be No. 1? That’s another question. You can ask them that. I don't know the answer."

"We expect our players to compete for 60 minutes of the game," Saban said. "I'm not satisfied with the way some of our players competed in the fourth quarter–the second team guys and all that. I'd like to see them get supported, just like some of the people that are fun to watch."