Julian Sayin is having a stellar season for the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, and he entered Week 10's games with the second-best Heisman Trophy odds (+400) behind Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Through seven Ohio State victories this season, Sayin was completing 80 percent of his passes — an FBS-leading percentage ahead of Week 10 — had thrown for 1,872 yards and 19 touchdowns and had been sacked just three times. He's having an impressive season with the best team in the country, and former Alabama coach Nick Saban is among the many in the college football world noticing his game.
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But Sayin wasn't always with Ohio State. Briefly, the former five-star recruit was at Alabama back during the 2023 season. He was an early enrollee with the Crimson Tide, but he ultimately transferred to Ohio State after Saban announced he was retiring from coaching.
Well, Saban had some thoughts about perhaps squandering an opportunity with Sayin. Saturday on ESPN's College GameDay broadcast, Saban roasted himself, saying he was a "dumbass" for overlooking Sayin's talents.
"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 to a chorus of laughter.
Can't win 'em all.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Nick Saban called himself a dumb-[expletive] over Julian Sayin
Reporting by Michelle R. Martinelli, For The Win / For The Win
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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