The issue of artificial turf vs. natural grass in football creeps up on occasion, but has been thrust back into the national conversation after New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his achilles tendon on a turf field Monday night. The NFL Players Association has made it clear that the player want natural grass fields in every stadium.

Alabama football has had grass in Bryant-Denny Stadium since 1991, when it ripped out an Astroturf surface that had been in place since 1968. The grass was replaced for this season, and Nick Saban said Thursday during his weekly radio show that he prefers the surface.

“I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Saban said. “I think most of us grow up playing on natural grass so that’s kind of what we’re used to. I think they made tremendous progress in quality of turf where people have turf. It’s not like it used to be, it’s not as hard. It’s more like natural grass.”

Crimson Tide players praised the new surface at Bryant-Denny before the season started. Offensive guard Tyler Booker noted that grass was his preferred playing surface.

Multiple players at SEC Media Days in July agreed, including Ole Miss defensive end Cedric Johnson.

“It’s just softer impact when you make a tackle,” Johnson said. “It’s not as rough. Feel like it’s better on your legs.”

Players have long said that turf has less give than natural grass, making them more likely to suffer injuries. The NFL has claimed that any difference in injury rates is negligible.

On Thursday, Saban acknowledged what players have said.

“I do think that there’s been a history for a long time of foot and ankle injuries, knee injuries,” Saban said. “Are there more occasions for that to happen when you’re on artificial surface as the natural grass because it doesn’t give, you’ve got more grab? I don’t know if all those thing are true. I don’t know that there’s a player on our team that would rather not prefer to play on natural grass.”

Saban said Alabama tries to keep its players on natural grass as much as possible.

“We do have to go inside and practice inside on occasion here because it’s so hot,” Saban said. “More because of the heat than it is because of bad weather or anything else. You can’t wear your players out when it’s 95 degrees every day. You’re going through practice and there’s just some point in time when you have to recover so on Thursdays we usually go inside.”

Alabama will be back in action Saturday against South Florida, on a natural grass surface in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. That game is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 and will be aired on ABC.

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