TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Saturday will be the final game in Bryant-Denny Stadium for 18 seniors.

As Alabama plays in its last home game of 2019, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban wants fans to show up and support the seniors that will be honored before the Western Carolina game.

“We’re excited about what this senior group that we have has been able to accomplish here,” Saban said Wednesday. “I think they’ve won 50 games so far in their career, four years, and 64 games over a 5-year period is a pretty significant accomplishment for those guys.

“So, I hope our fans come out and recognize this group on Saturday and show their appreciation for what they’ve done and how they’ve represented the university and the football program.”

Alabama has 21 seniors on its current roster, including fifth-year senior Joshua McMillon who is hoping to return for a sixth year by way for a medical redshirt, but will celebrate these 18:

DB Connor Adams, Sugar Land, Texas

DB Shyheim Carter, Kentwood, La.

LB William Cooper, Huntsville, Ala.

DL Raekwon Davis, Meridian, Miss.

DB Trevon Diggs, Gaithersburg, Md.

WR Mac Hereford, Birmingham, Ala.

WR Jalen Jackson, Waldorf, Md.

LB Anfernee Jennings, Dadeville, Ala.

DB Sean Kelly, Cary, N.C.

LB Terrell Lewis, Washington D.C.

RB De’Marquise Lockridge, Columbia, Tenn.

DB Jared Mayden, Sachse, Texas

DL Tevita Musika, Milpitas, Calif.

WR John Parker, Huntsville, Ala.

TE Daniel Powell, Aliceville, Ala.

DB Loren Ugheoke, Huntsville, Ala.

DL Taylor Wilson, Huntington Beach, Calif.

OL Matt Womack. Hernando, Miss.

In an era of college football where transfers are the norm, Saban appreciates seeing players that spend four or five years in the program, trying to develop both on and off the field.

Alabama linebacker Anfernee Jennings

“I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Saban said. “I mean, if a guy’s here for three years, he obviously did a really good job and we appreciate them and what they’ve done. We just hope that they all make good business decisions about what they do in the future. But the guys that have been here and stayed here and value education, wanting to get a degree, continuing to sort of try to develop value by the way they play and develop as players, they become leaders, they’re more mature and they certainly have a great impact and set a great example for some of the younger players, and I do have a great regard for some of those guys.

“Most of the guys that have been here for four and five years, they’ve had to overcome a lot of adversity, like Anfernee Jennings. The guy had a really tough injury a few years ago and really worked hard to get back and wanted to come back this year. Of course, he didn’t think he was quite as good as he could be last year, and he’s done a fantastic job for us this year. I think he’s one of the top production guys, and I think he has created value for himself. So, I don’t think there’s enough guys that look longterm at the value of being here over an extended period of time, graduating and trying to improve as a player so they create more value for themselves.”

Alabama-Western Carolina will kick off at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. The Senior Day festivities on the field will begin with 15 minutes remaining on the pregame clock inside the stadium.

HARRIS LEADS BY EXAMPLE

Fresh off a 4-touchdown game (3 rushing, 1 receiving) at Mississippi State, Alabama running back Najee Harris is the SEC’s fifth-leading rusher with 87.6 yards per game. He also ranks fourth in rushing touchdowns (9), tied for sixth in rushing yards (876), seventh in rushing attempts (144), eighth in rushing attempts per game (14.4) and ninth in yards per carry (6.08).

Harris leads all running backs, both nationally and in the SEC, with six receiving touchdowns and set the Tide’s single-season record for receiving touchdowns by a running back.

“I think he’s played really well,” Saban said. “I think he’s improved as the season’s gone on and the last few games, has played his best football of the year. I think a lot of it is just confidence -- not really confidence in your ability to do things but confidence in your ability of how do you press the hole, how do you run the runs that match up with the position of the offensive linemen relative to who they’re trying to block. And developing a confidence and an understanding of that is going to help you have more successful runs.

Alabama running back Najee Harris

“I think that’s an area that he’s really improved in and I think it’s sort of showing in his production.”

With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa set to miss the rest of the season with a dislocated hip, it will be up to players like Harris to not only pick up some of the slack in Tagovailoa’s absence on the field but to also step up as a leader in place of the locker room’s most positive person.

“I think Najee has always been a leader by example,” Saban said. “He’s a hard worker. He pays attention to details. He focuses. He’s a really good practice player. I would say that he’s not a talker, he doesn’t say a lot. But he does lead by example, and I think it’s just as important that you have good players on your team that are willing to do that as it is guys who maybe talk a little more or try to show a little more enthusiasm to get other players affected.

“I think you need both.”

COMING SOON: BELICHICK & SABAN

In less than one month, Saban and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will be the subjects of a feature-length documentary titled Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching.

Spanning 90 minutes, the documentary will premiere on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. CT on HBO. The newest installment of the Emmy Award-winning programming partnership of HBO Sports and NFL Films profiles the long-standing relationship between Saban and Belichick.

Saban talked about the upcoming film and what Belichick has meant to him and his career.

“Bill’s one of my best friends,” Saban said. “We kind of got to know each other because I coached with his dad when I was like 27 years old or something at the Naval Academy. We were both young, just barely starting out and sort of developed a relationship then and spent a lot of time together through the years. And then having the opportunity to work with him in Cleveland was probably the most impactful thing to me, in terms of what I was able to learn organizationally, how to run a program, how to run an organization, how to define the expectation for the people in the organization.

“I’ve had some great mentors -- George Perles at Michigan State, Don James, my college coach. I’ve learned a lot from just about everybody that I’ve coached for, but Bill was unique in terms of how he did things and how well-organized he was, and I’ve benefited tremendously from that experience. He’s the best coach that I ever had the opportunity to spend time with, and not just coaching players on the field but understanding the game and understanding what you have to do to build an organization, whether it’s how you bring personnel to the team, how you evaluate personnel, what you’re looking for, how you define that, critical factors at every position.

“I mean, there’s not one part of what he does that’s not really well thought out and well-organized. And he surrounds himself with people who believe in the same things that he does and that they have success because of it, and I can't say enough good things about him and how much I appreciate the relationship. I enjoyed doing it because we’re good friends. I haven’t seen any of it, so I don’t know what it’s like. But I’m sure his part of it’s pretty good.”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).