Nick Saban Sends Strong Message to Lane Kiffin, LSU Before Clemson Game

Saban counseled his former assistant coach's fan base on a Clemson team that he sees as likely to be much improved from last season.

Lane Kiffin and his Tigers will open a new era of LSU football, but with a word of caution from Nick Saban. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As LSU battles the NCAA in court and prepares to open the Lane Kiffin Era on the field, expectations remain sky-high for the Tigers. But ESPN broadcaster Nick Saban had some words of caution for the Tiger faithful. Saban, of course, coached at LSU, winning a national title there before heading to the NFL and then to Alabama. And Kiffin and Saban had an interesting relationship during Kiffin's image rehabilitation era as an assistant under Saban at Alabama.

Saban Talks (LSU) Tigers

"Lane Kiffin has created a lot of excitement in Louisiana & they've done a lot to revamp their roster..

I like their team & I think they're gonna be better than people think..

At the same time I also think Clemson is gonna be a lot better than they were" ~ Coach Saban… pic.twitter.com/he3cFhNBmL

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 3, 2026

"Lane has created a lot of excitement, and rightfully so," noted Saban. But in assessing the Tigers, Saban was typically blunt.

"They have 53 new players on their team... but there's also 53 guys that aren't there any more," said Saban. "So you lose them on the back end, and people don't talk about that much.... Whether they have enough depth on their team to be a real contender remains to be seen."

Kiffin's initial LSU team was assembled heavily from the transfer portal, where On3/Rivals placed the Tigers second in its team portal rankings. 247sports ranked LSU tops overall and Kiffin's roster turned over significant from that left by his predecessor Brian Kelly.

Saban Discusses Clemson

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney leads a dangerous Clemson team into LSU on Saturday. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Saban also had a word of warning for Kiffin and his Tiger fan base about their opposition.

"I also think Clemson is going to be a lot better than they were," said Saban. "I think they've got a lot of returning players. I think they were young last year. I think they've got a lot more maturity as a team and Dabo is a really good coach.... They have really good players in some critical positions."

Clemson's Big Season

Clemson stumbled to 7-6 in 2025, the worst season the Tigers had since 2010. Swinney is one of the most veteran coaches in college football, but his reluctance to embrace the transfer portal has seen Clemson fall from a national power to struggling to stay in the ACC race a season ago.

But Saban highlighted Clemson's prowess in two pivotal areas, the secondary and at wide receiver. At defensive back, returning standout Ashton Hampton will be completed by significant depth entering via the transfer portal. At receiver, TJ Moore (52 catches for 837 yards) and Bryant Wesco Jr. (31 catches for 537 yards before injury ended his year at midseason) give the Tigers one of the top receiver combinations in college football. New QB Christopher Vizzina is something of an unknown, but Saban counseled respect for a solid Clemson team.