Nick Saban Criticizes Florida State's Litany of Shortcomings With One Blunt Quote

The Seminoles have struggled mightily out of the gate after a superb 2023.

Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Memphis Tigers wide receiver Koby Drake (10) celebrates after a big play against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

It's safe to say that this is not the start Florida State envisioned entering the 2024 season.

The Seminoles have played three games so far this year and dropped all of them: a 24–21 last-second loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland, a 28–13 beatdown by Boston College, and a 20–12 loss to Memphis.

As a potential fourth loss looms against a solid California team, ESPN analyst and legendary coach Nick Saban put the Seminoles' woes under the microscope on Saturday's edition of College GameDay.

"When it comes to Florida State—they've always taken the 'microwave fix,' I call it," Saban said. "To take a lot of guys from the portal—sometimes that works, sometimes that doesn't.

“Those guys were all in the portal for a reason. You take these guys out of the portal—things don't go the way you thought they were gonna go, maybe you don't have the kind of culture and leadership on your team and the people buying into the leadership that you need to be able to be successful."

Nick Saban talking about Florida State.

“Those guys were all in the portal for a reason.” pic.twitter.com/0mZ15ywgJL

— NMD Grant (@NMDgrant) September 21, 2024

That approach worked well for coach Mike Norvell's squad in 2023, when it won 13 games and the ACC title. It has done quite the opposite in '24.