Nick Saban Compares Two Former RBs to Show Why Alabama Didn't Care About Star Ratings

The legendary Alabama head coach says he didn't know what a player's rating was until signing day, and used Josh Jacons and Damien Harris as an example of why.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban walks with running back Damien Harris (34) after he was injured against The Citadel in second half action at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday November 17, 2018 | Mickey Welsh / Advertiser

Indiana is the No. 1 team in the country and playing for its first ever national championship on Monday night. Head coach Curt Cignetti has built the program up without the traditional five-star athletes that Nick Saban was know for recruiting while winning six national titles at Alabama.

However, during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show Monday afternoon, Saban said the star ratings never mattered to him, and he used two former Crimson Tide running backs from the 2015 and 2016 recruiting class as an example of why.

"We never ever looked at— and I know Cig doesn’t either— at how many stars a guy has because I think what you all need to do is look at who’s giving out the stars," Saban said. "They don’t know their ass from a handful of sand when it comes to what a football player is. So why would you as a coach depend on somebody who’s not even a coach evaluating players to give them stars? I say all the time, Josh Jacobs had no stars, and Damien Harris was a five star. They were both really good players, don’t get me wrong, but Josh Jacobs was a first-round pick, and Damien Harris was a third-round. Josh Jacobs is still playing, and Damien Harris is not.

"So when you evaluate the players on your own in terms of the criteria of what you’re looking for at any position that fit in your system and the criteria of the kind of people you want to make the culture of your team what it is, which I think Cig has done a fantastic job of because it’s culture over system. If you don’t have a good culture, you’re never gonna execute the system no matter how good it is. That’s what they’ve done such a great job of at Indiana in my opinion. I’m just not a big fan of the stars. I never knew how many stars a guy had until signing day."

"We never looked at how many stars a guy had because you have to look at who's giving out the stars..

They don't know their ass from a handful of sand"

😂😂 Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/PJpZ5KkISH

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 19, 2026

Jacobs played at Alabama from 2016 to 2018 and was a first-round pick by the Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft. He is now in his seventh season in the NFL and second with the Green Bay Packers. Jacobs has rushed for over 1000 yards in five of his seven pro seasons and is a three-time Pro Bowler.

Harris played for the Crimson Tide under Saban from 2015 to 2018 and was picked in the third round by the Patriots in 2019. He spent five seasons in the NFL with his best year coming in 2021where he was the primary starter for New England at running back. Harris now works as a football analyst for CBS Sports.