Nick Saban Admits He Made a ‘Mistake’ by Rejecting Skip Bertman’s Valuable Advice

Before Nick Saban built a dynasty for the Alabama Crimson Tide, winning six national championships and compiling a record of 206-29, he was the head coach of the LSU Tigers.

Skip Betman Tried to Convince Nick Saban to Stay at LSU

In five seasons, Saban went 48-16, winning the national championship in 2003. Saban would then sign a new seven-year contract in February 2004 to stay in Baton Rouge. However, after a 9-3 season in 2004, he elected to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Saban spoke about his time at LSU while also remembering the life of legendary baseball coach Skip Bertman, who passed away on Aug. 14. Bertman compiled an incredible record of 870-333-3, including five national championships during his tenure at LSU. He was there at the same time Saban was the football coach.

Former LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly and Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban talk together. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Saban Admits Leaving LSU for NFL Was a Mistake

In an interview, Saban said that Bertman tried to get him to stay in Baton Rouge, ultimately admitting that it was a mistake to take the Miami job.

"When I thought about it, I wanted my legacy to be as a college coach, and I took the job anyway,” Saban told WAFB’s Jacques Doucet. “So, that was a mistake.”

“Skip was 100% right. I just didn’t listen to him.”

Saban's decision to leave LSU for the Dolphins has long been one of the biggest "what ifs" of his coaching career. At the time, he had already established himself as one of the best coaches in college football and had just won LSU's first national title since 1958.

Bertman apparently recognized what Saban had in Baton Rouge and tried to convince him not to leave. Saban ultimately ignored that advice, taking the NFL opportunity before returning to college football two years later with Alabama. The rest, of course, became history.

Saban's LSU Legacy Could Have Looked Much Different

Saban went just 15-17 with the Dolphins before returning to the college ranks and eventually building the greatest dynasty of the modern era at Alabama. But his comments suggest he now views his time at LSU as the place where his long-term legacy should have remained.

Had Saban stayed in Baton Rouge, the trajectory of LSU football, and perhaps the entire SEC, could have looked dramatically different. Instead, he left the program he had just led to a championship and eventually became Alabama's legendary head coach.

Bertman's advice has aged particularly well, given everything Saban accomplished after returning to college football. Saban ultimately got the college coaching legacy he wanted, but his latest comments make it clear he still thinks leaving LSU was an unnecessary detour.

And perhaps fittingly, one of the people who understood that best at the time was the legendary coach he now remembers as being 100% right.

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