Nick Saban: Miami's 'one of the most complete teams' in college football

ESPN brought College GameDay to Miami for the Hurricanes’ showdown with Florida this weekend. That means Nick Saban and Pat McAfee had a hit on Friday in town as part of The Pat McAfee Show.

During his time with McAfee, Saban waxed poetic about Miami. He believes the defeated Hurricanes have the potential to compete for the ACC and the College Football Playoff in 2025.

“I think Miami is one of the most complete teams I’ve seen,” Saban stated. “They’re physical, balanced on offense, able to run the ball, able to throw the ball with a good quarterback and skill guys who can make explosive plays. And defensively, they’re playing really well with a very good front.

“I love Jason Taylor—he was one of the best players I’ve ever been around. From an attitude standpoint, from a leadership standpoint, he’s special. Now he’s coaching that defensive line, and those guys have gotten better every year. At this point, they’ve developed a pretty dominant front, and the back end is a lot better, too.

“They did a great job in the transfer portal, bringing in players who could help in the secondary. So, to me, they’re one of the most complete teams I’ve seen so far this year.”

It’s easy to see why Saban is confident in Miami. They looked the part last season, breaking through under Mario Cristobal to win 10 regular season games, starting the season 9-0.

However, two late-season conference losses seemed to derail the season. Now, that’s serving as an example for what the Hurricanes are looking to avoid in 2025, as they hope to finish the job with a supremely talented team.

As mentioned, Miami will play host to the Florida Gators at Hard Rock Stadium next in Week 4. The Gators are coming into the game off two losses in a row and they’re hungry to bounce back against an in-state rival.

With plenty on the line and a talented opponent, Miami can’t overlook this next hurdle. Kickoff for that game is currently scheduled for Saturday, September 20th, at 7:30 p.m. EST

Saban will have a keen eye on that one, and so will his College GameDay counterparts. It may be a foregone conclusion that he’s picking Miami, but you never know how he’ll feel about the Gators tomorrow morning, especially considering they’re an SEC squad.