ESPN's Nick Saban Has Interesting Words Regarding FSU and the Transfer Portal

Saban seemingly took a shot at FSU and five of his former players on College GameDay.

The Florida State Seminoles are not off to the start that they expected, beginning the season by losing their first three games before winning 14-9 against Cal last weekend. The 'Noles have struggled offensively this year, in part due to having to replenish the 13 players from last year's team who moved on to the NFL, while also dealing with injuries and new pieces.

FSU has had a lot of success through the transfer portal, with transfers like New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson II and LA Rams defensive end Jared Verse being drafted in the first round, along with a multitude of other early draft picks across the board. Head coach Mike Norvell earned the nickname 'Transfer King,' and after taking the No. 7 transfer class last cycle, the trend was anticipated to continue.

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Former Alabama head coach and ESPN Analyst Nick Saban spoke on College GameDay this past Saturday and called Florida State's approach to the transfer portal a "microwave fix" regarding the slow start to the season. He mentioned that the players are in the portal for a reason despite five of the former players that he recruited to Tuscaloosa, AL being on the current Seminole roster.

“When it comes to Florida State, they've always taken the 'microwave fix' I call it. To take a lot of guys from the portal, sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t, especially when things go bad," Saban said. "You know all of those guys were in the portal for a reason."

Nick Saban with some interesting words regarding #FSU and the transfer portal.

“To take a lot of guys from the portal, sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. Especially when things go bad. You know all of those guys were in the portal for a reason.” pic.twitter.com/9UNs7WjGMQ

— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) September 21, 2024

Saban added that the problems at Florida State could be due to the culture and leadership within the program and that the season could be a challenge for the Seminoles.

"So, now you take these guys out of the portal, and things don't go the way you thought they were going to go, and maybe you don't have the kind of culture and leadership and the people buying into the leadership that you need to be able to be successful. So this is a real challenge.”

FSU has a chance to prove him wrong this weekend and throughout the rest of the season when they go on the road to Dallas, TX to take on the SMU Mustangs. The ball is set to fly through the air at 8:00 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ACCN.

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