Mac Jones Had Funny Response to Nick Saban Still Calling Him John McEnroe

At Alabama, Nick Saban began calling Mac Jones "John McEnroe" after the tennis great.

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban used to call Mac Jones John McEnroe in college. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

During the 49ers' impressive 26-23 win over the Rams on Thursday Night Football last week, backup Mac Jones notably kept his composure throughout a tense game. Despite getting banged up and fighting off a comeback from the Rams, Jones delivered against a contender, even shrugging off a Rams' defender after a big play.

Following Jones's gritty performance in the win, his former coach at Alabama, Nick Saban, shared he used to call Jones "John McEnroe," after the tennis great who was known for his temper.

"I used to call him John McEnroe," Saban said on the Pat McAfee Show last week. "Mac was a tennis player in high school. When Mac threw a bad pass, he'd kick and fuss and cuss and all that, so I'd say, 'John, are you going to throw your racket now?' I said, 'You can't do that and play quarterback. You're affecting the whole team out here. You make one bad play, and you go bananas, you can't do that.'"

"I used to call Mac Jones John McEnroe because he was a tennis player in high school..

He would make one bad play and go bananas..

It's not an individual sport and you gotta cut that shit out" 😂😂 ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/7vnYyx8BnX

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 3, 2025

Jones responded to that story on Thursday from Saban with a joke of his own. "I'm gonna have to call him. I thought we graduated from that. He brings that up every year," Jones said. "Like, get a new joke or something. Next time I see him I'll rip him, just like he used to rip me."

"I'm gonna have to call him. I thought we graduated from that. He brings that up every year. Like, get a new joke or something."

Mac Jones on Nick Saban still calling him John McEnroe pic.twitter.com/QwVU7EsShn

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) October 9, 2025

On a more serious note, Jones added, "I definitely had to work on that. He actually helped me a lot with that. Hope the next time he talks about that he'll talk about the progress I made from my freshman to my sophomore year, just working with different people on staff, meeting with people and having these conversations about how can I get my mental game better."

---

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

feed