Nick Saban has perfect response when asked if any Alabama players remind him of himself at Kent State

Nick Saban, the coach? Undisputed legend.

Nick Saban, the football player? Much less memorable.

The Alabama legend poked some fun at himself on Thursday when asked if any of his current players were comparable to when he played defensive back at Kent State.

The 7-time national championship coach pulled no punches about his inadequacies on the field in the 1970s.

Saban asked if anyone on the team reminds him of himself as a player at Kent State: "First of all, I wasn't good enough to play at Alabama. And if there's anybody on our team that reminds me of me, I hope they don't get to play because we might be in trouble."

— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) October 21, 2022

“First of all, I wasn’t good enough to play at Alabama,” Saban quipped. “And if there’s anybody on our team that reminds me of me, I hope they don’t get to play because we might be in trouble.”

Saban played at Kent State from 1970-72 under coach Don James and earned a master’s degree in sports administration in 1975. In high school, Saban quarterbacked the 1968 West Virginia state title squad.

Still, all of that pales in comparison to what Saban has accomplished on the sidelines. The future Hall of Fame member has collected 10 SEC titles, 5 SEC Coach of the Year awards, and 2 Paul “Bear” Bryant trophies.

Next up for No. 6 Alabama is a home contest vs. visiting No. 24 Mississippi State on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.

Alabama leads the all-time series 84-18-3 against Mississippi State. Alabama has a 14-game winning streak in the series, having not lost since 2007.