"What a dumba**": Nick Saban reveals his biggest blunder in handling Julian Sayin's role during Alabama tenure

Julian Sayin has become the talk of the town for the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The sophomore quarterback has led the Buckeyes to a perfect 7-0 record heading into their Week 10 matchup against Penn State on Saturday.

Notably, Sayin began practicing as an early enrollee in college at Alabama during the 2023 season. However, the QB entered the transfer portal in January 2024, after Nick Saban announced his retirement from coaching, and eventually transferred to Ohio State.

During Saturday's "College GameDay" show, Saban poked fun at himself for not realizing Sayin's talent while the then-five-star recruit was still at Alabama.

“I think one point I’d like to make about Julian Sayin is he was at Alabama,” Saban said. “And the coach at Alabama played him on the scout team for a whole year. What a dumba*s.”

Saban coached at Alabama for 17 years and won six national championships before stepping down from his role. He also won a national title at LSU.

How has Julian Sayin fared at Ohio State this season?

Ohio State QB Julian Sayin - Source: Getty

Julian Sayin is enjoying a fabulous season at Ohio State. Before the matchup against Penn State, the Buckeyes QB has recorded 1,872 yards, 19 touchdowns, three interceptions.

Sayin, who is in the mix for the Heisman Trophy, will want to extend Ohio State's percect start against Penn State on Saturday.

At the time of writing, Ohio State holds a 10-7 lead over Penn State with just over six minutes remaining in the second quarter.