Alabama head coach Nick Saban held his final press conference of the week before his team travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia in the SEC Championship.

One of the biggest topics of conversation this week has been the return of linebacker Terrell Lewis to practice. The junior tore his ACL in July but practiced for the first time on Monday.

"That does not at all mean that he's been cleared to play football or even has it been discussed that he will play football," Saban said. "So this is just the next phase of his rehab in terms of what he needs to start doing. And when he passes this phase, then we'll go to the next phase. And that's a medical decision as to win he might be ready to play but it's certainly not anytime soon in terms of the game coming up for sure."

For the players that are healthy and ready to face No. 4 Georgia this weekend, practice has gone well according to Saban.

"We had good work at practice today," Saban said. "I think the players are focused on what we need to do and the focus needs to be on great preparation from this time forward."

A lot of national conversation this week focuses on the College Football Playoff - and rightfully so - but these conference championship games still carry a lot of weight with the players and coaches.

"Winning the SEC is something that's very, very meaningful, I think, to a lot of people and certainly to the players on our team."

Here's what else Saban touched on during the short press conference:

  • There are no other injury issues to mention outside of Terrell Lewis.
  • Thoughts on his medical staff to get players like Terrell Lewis back in a timely fashion.
  • The matchup with Georgia statistically in terms of key metrics like explosive plays and turnover margin.
  • Whether he's talked to Reuben Foster recently and what his thoughts are on his recent release.
  • How the team handles the recovery process for players and how they keep them fresh this time of the year.
  • How Tua Tagovailoa's personality helps keep the team loose and have fun while playing at a high level.
  • Whether the subject of Jalen Hurts transferring has come up this season.

You can watch the entire press conference in the video at the top of the page.

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