Jimbo Fisher calls out 'despicable' 'czar of college football' Nick Saban as the SEC coaches escalate beef over NIL recruiting era

• Jimbo Fisher took a shot at Nick Saban after the Alabama head coach criticized his recruiting tactics.
• "It's despicable that a reputable head coach can come out and say this when he doesn't get his way," Fisher said.

Two of the top coaches in college football engaged in a brutal war of words this week as the new world of recruiting in the age of NIL takes shape.

On Wednesday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban appeared to take a shot at Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher for how the rival school was recruiting while speaking with local business leaders.

"I mean, we were second in recruiting last year," Saban said. "A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team -— made a deal for name, image, likeness. We didn't buy one player, all right? But I don't know if we're going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it. It's tough."

—Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) May 19, 2022

In response, Fisher called an impromptu press conference on Thursday morning and went scorched earth on Saban, for whom he once worked as an LSU assistant.

"We never bought anybody," Fisher said, notably not naming Saban in his response. "No rules are broken. Nothing was done wrong.

"It's despicable that a reputable head coach can come out and say this when he doesn't get his way," Fisher said. "The narcissist in him doesn't allow those things to happen. It's ridiculous when he's not on top."

At one point, Fisher's words verged on vaguely threatening, encouraging reporters to dig into Saban's past and see what they find.

"Some people think they're God," Fisher said. "Go dig into how God did his deal. You may find out ... a lot of things you don't want to know. We build him up to be the czar of football. Go dig into his past or anybody's that's ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out, what he does and how he does it. It's despicable."

—CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 19, 2022

Fisher said that while Saban had reached out to him over the fracas, he refused to pick up the phone.

"We're done," Fisher said. "He shows you who he is. He's the greatest ever, huh? When you've got all the advantages, it's easy."

—CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 19, 2022

While tensions between the coaches are reaching a fever pitch, one bright spot is the fact that they will be able to settle things on the field when they meet in Tuscaloosa this October.