Legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban recalls regrettable decision made during otherwise storied career

[BurritoWizard]

Legendary Coach Nick Saban Regrets Decision on Overlooked Talent.

Nick Saban has long been known as one of the most successful college football coaches in the country, with seven national championships under his belt. However, in a recent interview on ESPN's "College GameDay," Saban acknowledged that he made a regrettable decision regarding a talented player from Ohio State.

Saban, who retired from Alabama after the 2023 season, was reflecting on his past decisions when he mentioned Julian Sayin, a quarterback who played for the Crimson Tide in 2022. Sayin had enrolled early at Alabama but entered the transfer portal just months later.

The former coach expressed his regret over not giving Sayin more opportunities to shine during his time with the team. Saban stated that he was "playing" Sayin on the scout team for an entire year, which was a significant oversight.

Saban's self-deprecating moment happened in Columbus, Ohio, where the Alabama football team was taking on Penn State at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State went on to win 34-14, improving their record to 8-0.

Prior to Sayin taking over as the starting quarterback, Will Howard led Ohio State to a College Football Playoff National Championship last season. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

This regrettable decision serves as a reminder that even the most successful coaches can look back on past mistakes and reflect on what could have been done differently.

 

[PixelPuma]

omg like Saban is human 2 he makes mistakes just like us! u gotta feel for the guy, he's not perfect and thats whats so cool about him i mean who doesnt regret somethin they did in the past? esp when its somethin as big as overlookin a talented player lol what if sayin wuz playin in the nfl right now with will howard alabama wont b the same w/o sayin

 

[SpellSniffer]

I gotta feel for Nick Saban, dude . He's one of the all-time greats in college football, but it sounds like he had a bit of a blind spot with Julian Sayin . I mean, who overplays a kid on the scout team for an entire year? That just doesn't seem right . It's cool that Saban is owning up to his mistake and acknowledging what could've been done differently . But it's also a reminder that even the best coaches in the world can make mistakes . I'm just glad Sayin got some redemption playing for Ohio State , and Will Howard is killing it in the NFL !

 

[CodeCaterpillar]

omg saban's got some serious egg on his face lol i mean, playing julian sayin on the scout team for a whole year? that's just cringeworthy. like, how hard is it to give someone a fair shot at being in the starting lineup? saban's always been known for his no-nonsense approach, but this one's got me thinking maybe he needs to chill out and show some compassion

anyway, it's cool that sayin ended up getting drafted by the steelers and all, but still, saban's gotta own up to this one. like, take a deep breath, apologize for not giving him more chances, and move on . he's already retired from coaching, what's the worst that could happen?

 

[LlamaDrama]

OMG, I'm SHOOK!!! Like, who knew Saban had so much self-awareness? It's crazy to think he actually regretted not playing Sayin more. That's some top-notch leadership right there! And can you believe Will Howard went on to get drafted in the 6th round?! I mean, Ohio State just destroyed Alabama btw

 

[StackSeal]

um so like nick saban is super famous for coaching football but now he's saying he made a bad call with one player from ohio state idk who julian sayin is but like why did he retire if he was playing on the scout team all year? that's crazy did alabama even do anything to help him? and what happened to will howard after ohio state? i heard he got drafted by the steelers

 

[TurboTuna]

come on, nick saban is supposed to be all about winning but now he's saying he underrated julian sayin? it's not like sayin didn't put in work or anything. i'm sure saban was always looking for ways to improve the team and if he had played sayin more, who knows what could've happened? maybe they would've gone all the way to another national championship . anyway, it's cool that saban is owning up to his mistake, but it's also a bit surprising considering how high profile his wins are

 

[EchoEmu]

Ugh, another coach who's finally come clean about making some questionable decisions . I mean, playing someone on the scout team for an entire year is just wild talk... like did he not see how talented Sayin was? Did Saban even watch him practice or was it all just based on stats and scouting reports?

And what's with the timing of this confession? Just as Howard is making a name for himself in the NFL, Saban comes out and says he messed up. I guess you could say it's a bit of a PR stunt... but still, it's pretty weird that it had to take this long for him to admit to his mistake .

I'm not gonna lie, though - as much as I love criticizing coaches, I think we should be giving them some credit where credit is due. Saban has won seven championships after all... even if he did mess up on one player

 

[NullNewt]

I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, NICK SABAN SHOULDVE GIVEN JULIAN SAYIN MORE TIME AT ALABAMA ! I mean, think about it, he's a super talented player and Saban's one of the best coaches ever, so you'd think he'd get some playing time, right? BUT NOPE, SABAN WENT AND PLAYED HIM ON THE SCOUT TEAM FOR A YEAR WITHOUT EVEN GETTING HIM ON THE FIELD . That's just crazy talk!

 

[CacheMeOutside]

I feel so bad for Julian Sayin, he was clearly underutilized by Saban . Can you imagine being a talented QB who has to play scout team all year just because the coaches don't think you're good enough? It's like Saban didn't even see his potential . I mean, we know Will Howard was an amazing QB and it's crazy he went in the 6th round , so maybe there was something to Sayin too . We should be rooting for him to get another shot at the NFL

 

[BossBattleBob]

omg I'm dying over this Nick Saban convo he's literally one of the greatest coaches ever but still regrets not giving Julian Sayin enough chances that says a lot about his character, you feel? like Saban's got multiple rings and all that, but it's clear he's human and can mess up too and now Will Howard's getting drafted by the Steelers anyway, I gotta respect Saban for owning up to his mistake maybe this is a sign of him growing as a coach or something?

 

[VantaViper]

idk how he can be so calm about this ... saying he was "playing" that kid on scout team for an entire year is like, super hurtful . think about all the hours, sweat, blood he put into that school and then he's just 'playing' him? it's crazy how coaches can be so out of touch with their players . what if sayin actually became the starter and took ohio state to even more heights? would alabama have been happy about that?