Nick Saban Sought Out an Arkansas Player to Console Him

Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty

After their win over Arkansas on Saturday, Nick Saban did something that wasn’t what we usually see in him…

Nick Saban took it upon himself to go over to Arkansas’ center, Frank Ragnow and share some encouraging words with him.

See, after Arkansas’ previous game against Alcorn State, Frank’s dad had a massive heart attach killing him.

This is something that hits Nick Saban on personal level because Saban’s own father also died while he was a student in college.

The transcript via Gridiron Now:

Nick Saban said during his post game news conference:

“I lost my father when I was in the first year of graduate school,” Saban said. “He’s a fine young man and a great player. For him to have to go through that, our thoughts and prayers are with his family. I just wanted to tell him that, try to encourage him to some kind of way embrace the good memories and good times that he had with his father because that’ll be something that he can keep with him forever.”

Frank and Coach Saban aren’t strangers, when Frank was being recruited, he did visit Alabama in 2013. Here in his posting you can see:

Frank Ragnow @KNARFWONGAR

#Bama was unreal! Great talk with Coach Saban #excited

5:34 PM – 7 Aug 2 2013

But after his brief encounter with Coach Saban, Frank put another tweet down to.. He posted in Twitter:

Frank Ragnow @KNARFWONGAR

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to our family. My dad had so many people who loved him and I’m so thankful to have him as a dad.

5:39 PM – 3 Oct 2 2016

The Arkansas coach Bret Bielema was on Sportscenter saying, “[Ragnow’s mother] reached out to me [after the Alcorn State game] and asked me to get Frank and get around him and we were gonna break the news that his father unfortunately had passed earlier that night after the game,” Bielema said. “It was actually his mom and dad’s anniversary if you can believe that that unfortunately Jon had not lived through.”

VIA:SBNATION