Nick Saban calls himself a ‘dumbass’ for playing Julian Sayin on Alabama’s scout team
By David Wasson
Published:
Former Alabama coach Nick Saban has never been shy about expressing his opinion, but he is becoming a bit more self-depreciating as well now that he is off the sidelines and inside our television sets.
Saban, in his second season appearing on ESPN’s College GameDay show, took a moment Saturday morning breaking down the matchup between No. 1 Ohio State and Penn State (Noon ET, FOX) to share a bit of analysis about Buckeyes star quarterback Julian Sayin’s more humble start in college football.
“I think one point I’d like to make about Julian Sayin is, he was at Alabama. And the coach at Alabama played him on the scout team for a whole year. What a dumbass,” Saban said as co-host Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit erupted in laughter.
That coach, of course, was Saban – who landed Sayin as a 5-star recruit out of Solana Beach, Calif., in 2023. Sayin redshirted that year behind Jalen Milroe and entered the transfer portal when Saban retired in January 2024.
Sayin landed in Columbus with Ohio State, and played as a redshirt freshman behind Will Howard on the Buckeyes team that won the CFP national championship. Sayin earned the starting spot at Ohio State entering 2025 and has thrown for 1,872 yards and 19 touchdowns against 3 interceptions in leading the team to a 7-0 record entering Saturday’s action.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
