Nick Saban is arguably the greatest college football coach of all time, winning six national championships at Alabama and one at LSU.
Saban, who finished his career with 292 wins, doesn't seem to have many regrets during his career. After being incredibly successful with the Crimson Tide, he left coaching on his own terms last year.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
ESPN analyst Nick Saban before the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Penn State Nittany Lions game in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on January 9, 2025. (Nathan Ray Seebeck Iman Images)
But he admitted in a recent interview that there was at least one thing he wanted to come back to: jumping from LSU to coach the Miami Dolphins. Saban famously left the Tigers after winning the national championship and coached the Dolphins for two years. He then claimed he wouldn't take the Alabama job, but ultimately took it anyway.
He told “The Pivot” that leaving LSU for the NFL was his “biggest mistake.”
“I think sometimes you have to learn about yourself,” he told LSU graduate Ryan Clark, former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder and former NFL star running back Fred Taylor. “And you might think a lot…when I left LSU, it was probably the biggest mistake I ever made 'professionally,'” he admitted.
Ohio State national champion Jack Sawyer sticks to his guns as he prepares for the NFL: 'I'll continue to trust in my plan'
Nick Saban is introduced as the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins on January 4, 2005 at the Dolphins' practice facility in Davie, Florida. (Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports)
“It's not because I didn't have success in Miami. I enjoyed coaching there. That experience made me realize that I liked coaching in college better because I was able to coach the players personally and academically more than in professional baseball. Because it allows you to develop athletically and everything else.'' The coaching position in pro football, the players you coach, and being in the best league and coaching with the best players. I loved it, but I loved everything about it. ”
Saban added that his agent, Jimmy Sexton, has discussed leaving LSU. Saban said Sexton asked the question, “Do you want to be Bear Bryant in terms of his legacy or do you want to be Vince Lombardi?” Saban said he wanted to be like Bryant, but chose to go the NFL route anyway.
#93 Chad Rabales and #72 kiss the ADT National Champion Trophy after defeating the University of Oklahoma 21-14 in New Orleans to win the 2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl on January 4, 2004 Head coach Nick Saban smiles as he looks at No. 1 player Steven Peterman. (Douglas Collier-USA TODAY NETWORK)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
While Saban will be remembered primarily for his time at Alabama, the only blemish on his resume that any football fan can point to may be his stint in the NFL.
Follow sports coverage on Fox News Digital's X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
