TUSCALOOSA — There was a time when no one would sit next to Nick Saban on the bus.

It didn’t matter if the team was going to see a movie or heading to the stadium. The seat next the Alabama football coach would always be empty.

That’s changed this season. Someone was finally bold enough to take the seat next to Saban.

And it’s a very large someone, at that.

Terrence Cody has been sitting next to Saban on bus trips this season, but the 6-foot-5, 349-pound nose tackle has a motive other than companionship.

Cody wants to play more on third down, and he’s using bus trips as an opportunity to get in his coach’s ear.

“He sits with me on the bus everywhere we go,” Saban said. “I usually have that seat all to my self, and (Cody) often points out that he wouldn’t have fit in that seat last year.

“(Cody) is doing a lot of begging, saying he’s in better shape. He’s been really nice to me, but he wants to play more on third down. That’s the real reason he sits next to me.”

It’s true. Cody wants to play more on third down.

And the Crimson Tide nose tackle is constantly bringing that up to Saban. Even on bus trips.

“If we’re going to see a movie or something, I sit next to him on the bus and mess with him a lot,” Cody said. “I bug him all the time, always telling him that I want to play more on third down.”

Cody is serious about staying on the field in passing situations. That’s why the All-American pointed out that he wouldn’t have fit in the seat next to Saban a year ago.

It was Cody’s way of saying that he’s met Saban’s demands.

Last season, Cody rarely played on third-down passing situations because of his weight. Saban used a smaller, quicker nose tackle to rush the passer, instead.

Cody wasn't satisfied. The junior college transfer wanted to stay on the field and was willing to do anything to make that happen.

Including lose weight.

Cody committed himself to losing weight during the offseason. He’s dropped 31 pounds and now weighs in at 349.

That’s still not light enough.

According to Cody, NFL draft advisors and Saban have said he needs to get his weight down to 340 pounds to play more on third-down passing situations.

“I was told that I had to drop some weight and work on my technique,” Cody said. “I’ve been staying after practice, doing some extra things like running extra sprints and things like that.

“And he’s said that I’ve become a better pass rusher because I’m using my hips and getting off blocks better because of the weight I’ve lost.”

Cody is close to meeting his target weight, but he still isn’t getting to play on third-down passing situations. Does that mean Saban believes he can’t be an effective pass rusher?

Absolutely not.

“(Cody) is in better shape, he is moving better and he can rush the passer,” Saban said. “There were a couple of times where we knew (Florida International) was going to pass and we left him in there. And he did a good job of pushing the pocket in the middle.

“But as long as we have more speed available, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Does that mean Cody will give up? Probably not.

The massive nose tackle will continue to try and impress his coach at practice. And if that doesn’t work, he’ll talk to Saban about it on the bus.

And truth be known, that won’t bother Saban. It sounds like he enjoys Cody’s company.

“Terrence has learned a lot since he got here,” Saban said. “He and I talk a lot, and he’s worked really hard in practice to become a much better pass rusher in certain situations of a game.

“Not that I would say Terrence takes up a lot of space," Saban added. "I’d never insinuate that. But I do have a lot of respect for him, and he must like me because he sits next to me on the bus.”

‰ Justin Graves can be reached by phone at 734-2131, ext. 257 or by e-mail at jgraves@cullmantimes.com.