“Nick Saban Is a Politician”: Joe Burrow’s Ex- LSU Teammate Calls Out Alabama Legend For ‘Lying’ About Pulling Strings

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Months after LSU head coach Lane Kiffin revealed that Nick Saban advised him before taking the Tigers’ job, the former Alabama coach has finally addressed the scrutiny surrounding that conversation. With questions lingering over Saban’s influence on coaching decisions and his ties to Kiffin, he used Saturday’s College GameDay appearance in Oxford to explain why coaches continue to turn to him for advice.

“I have coaches call me all the time and ask me for advice about what they should do,” said Saban. “Typically, I ask them questions: Where do you think you can win? Where do you think you fit? I also say why can’t you win at where you are now? You have a great quarterback. You have a great running back. You’re in the playoffs. You have a chance to win the national championship. So, why do you have to go someplace else?”

Saban’s clarification, however, didn’t sit well with former LSU nose tackle and Joe Burrow’s ex-teammate Breiden Fehoko. Right after Saban’s comments gained traction, Fehoko took to his social media handle and called out the Alabama legend for lying about his role in the coaches’ decision-making.

“Nick Saban is a politician,” Fehoko wrote on X. “That man will get up there and straight lie that he isn’t pulling strings behind the scenes for his coaching tree and Jimmy Sexton. Grow up you are 74.”

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The development gained momentum months after LSU introduced Lane Kiffin as its next head coach. Kiffin was all set to leave Ole Miss after a six-year tenure, after finishing 11-1 during the 2025 season.

At that time, however, Kiffin revealed that he had conversations with several coaches and leaned on their guidance before taking the LSU job, including Nick Saban.

“You know, coach Saban kind of coached at another place in this conference, so I can’t … I can’t really say exactly what he said, but I’ll say I think the world of Coach Saban, and I respect him,” Kiffin said at that time. “And so, there’s a reason I’m here.”

The former Ole Miss head coach served as an offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2014 through 2016 under Saban’s guidance before taking over the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic. During his tenure at Alabama, the Crimson Tide won a national championship during the 2015 season.

However, Saban’s advice to Kiffin to take the LSU job drew significant criticism. For broader context, Kiffin was leaving Ole Miss for LSU right before Ole Miss entered the College Football Playoff. Around the same time, Saban was publicly arguing on ESPN’s College GameDay that Ole Miss should allow Kiffin to continue coaching the Rebels through the playoff even after accepting the LSU job.

Kiffin later revealed that he had privately called Saban, and Saban told him, “You know Lane you’ll always regret, if you don’t go to LSU. It’s the best job in America.”

That prompted Kiffin to take the job.

At the same time, however, it created an obvious conflict-of-interest perception. Saban wasn’t just an outside former coach commenting on the situation. He was Kiffin’s former mentor, had a long relationship with him, and both shared the same agent, Jimmy Sexton. On top of that, Saban was appearing on ESPN and publicly commenting on whether Kiffin should remain with Ole Miss during the playoff.

And now, Fehoko is essentially rejecting Saban’s explanation. That said, while Saban maintains that he simply offers guidance without making decisions for other coaches, Fehoko clearly sees a deeper level of influence at play.

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