Nick Saban has a hilarious and blunt message for Nico Iamaleava during College Gameday that shows his Alabama colors bleeding through
The former Crimson Tide head coach made his feelings clear.
There’s no doubt Nick Saban and the Tennessee Volunteers will never be fans of each other. The long-time Alabama head coach had his way with the Vols for the vast majority of his career, but Tennessee finally got him with the Crimson Tide in 2022 in a 52-49 classic.
Saban retired in January 2024, right after Nico Iamaleava made his first start at the Vols’ quarterback against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. Even after his retirement, Saban never pulled for Iamaleava in 2024 as the Vols’ starting quarterback.
Or so he said tongue-in-cheek on Saturday during the College Gameday picks segment. Saban took UCLA at +6.5 as his superdog against Northwestern, and he had a, let’s say, unique message of encouragement for the current Bruins and former Vols signal caller.
Nick Saban quipped that he never rooted for Iamaleava while he was at Tennessee, but says he’s a fan on Saturday
“I’m taking UCLA,” Saban said. “I’m going to have a heart-to-heart with Nico right here. I’ve never rooted for you the whole time you were at Tennessee, but I love your ass right now.”
The crew exploded in laughter at the statement, naturally, as you can tell from Saban’s light-hearted comment. But it’s still amusing to hear Saban’s Alabama roots emerge from time to time during the show.
Although he probably should have been a fan of the way that Iamaleava played quarterback while he was with Tennessee in 2024, with the Vols failing to reach 200 yards passing in 8 games last year.
If Saban has some feelings about not liking whoever is quarterbacking the Vols, then he’s surely, deep down, not a fan of how Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar is tearing up opposing defenses downfield right now.
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