Saban: I Misjudged Julian Sayin

On ESPN's College GameDay, Nick Saban joked that “the coach at Alabama played [Julian Sayin] on the scout team for a whole year,” calling himself “what a dumbass” while praising Sayin’s accuracy and judgment. Sayin enrolled early at Alabama and practiced ahead of the 2023 Rose Bowl but entered the transfer portal in January 2024 after Saban’s retirement and quickly committed to Ohio State. Now Ohio State’s starting sophomore, Sayin has thrown for 1,872 yards with 19 touchdowns and three interceptions this season, completing roughly 80% of his passes. He has emerged as a Heisman contender and helped lead the No. 1 Buckeyes' offense. Fans and outlets noted Saban’s scout-team-for-a-year quip may be overstated since Sayin was only briefly on Alabama’s campus before transferring.