TUSCALOOSA — With the regular season coming to a close and plenty of jobs opening up, plenty of speculation has centered on Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, but Nick Saban said nobody has called to ask to interview one of his staff members.

“But if they do, I always talk to the person and let them know that somebody’s expressed interest,” Saban said.

Saban said he has a policy about staff members moving on to better jobs.

“We want our assistant coaches to be able to fulfill the goals and aspirations that they have,” he said. “The reason that they do a good job for you is so that they may create an opportunity for themselves to be a head coach, unless somebody just doesn’t want to be a head coach. I was that way when I was an assistant.”

Smart, 36, a former Georgia defensive back, has served as Saban’s defensive coordinator at Alabama since 2007. He won the Frank Broyles Award in 2009 as the nation’s top assistant coach. this year. He won the AFCA FBS Assistant Coach Award, which honors someone for on- and off-the-field work.

Smart coached running backs at Georgia in 2005 before working for Saban in 2006 as the Miami Dolphins’ safeties coach. He also coached defensive backs for Saban at LSU in 2004.

Alabama left guard Chance Warmack practiced Monday afternoon with his left hand taped up to protect an injured finger. It looked a little like a war club attached to the end of his left arm.

Saban and Warmack said the injury won’t affect the junior’s status for Saturday’s SEC Championship Game. Warmack hurt his finger against Auburn, and at first, he thought he had dislocated it.

“I just nicked it up,” he said. “I was freaking out because I thought I did (dislocate it). But it was just a nick. They had me come out and tape it up, but I was all right.”

Alabama gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson and softball coach Patrick Murphy received raises and contract extensions Monday when the University of Alabama Board of Trustees compensations committee approved amendments to their contracts.

Patterson’s contract was extended to June of 2018, and her salary was raised $30,000 a year to $330,000. Murphy’s contract now runs a year longer to June of 2017, and his base salary was raised $15,000 a year to $240,000.

Both coaches led their programs to national championships last season.