Nick Saban shares his one regret from his professional life.

Nick Saban was incredibly accomplished over his coaching career, but there is one regret he has.

Saban was a guest on Tuesday’s edition of “The Pivot” show featuring hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor. During the episode, Saban was asked if he had any regrets from his career. Saban said that there was one mistake he made — leaving college.

“When I left LSU, that was probably professionally the biggest mistake that I ever made. Not because we didn’t have success in Miami — because I enjoyed coaching in Miami. But I found out in that experience that I like coaching in college better because you can develop players … a little more than in pro ball,” Saban said.

Saban even said that his agent asked him when he was thinking of leaving whether he wanted to have a Bear Bryant legacy or be a Vince Lombardi. Saban knew at the time he wanted to be like Bryant, but he still took the Dolphins job anyway.

Nick Saban only has one regret… leaving LSU. Sitting on then LSU athletic Director’s Skip Bertman’s balcony Nick’s agent Jimmy Sexton asked…
“Do you want to be Bear Bryant or Vince Lombardi?”

Without hesitation Saban answered “Bear Bryant”. Still, he made the decision to… pic.twitter.com/l6ikTPa9RC

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 21, 2025

Though Saban categorizes the move as a mistake, he acknowledges that it helped him learn more about himself and solidified that he is a college coach. He was able to rectify things by going to Alabama and cementing his legacy as the greatest college football coach ever.

Nick Saban won seven national championships over his career — one at LSU and six at Alabama. He was a five-time SEC Coach of the Year and two-time AP Coach of the Year. The 73-year-old announced his retirement last year and has been doing media work ever since.