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Nick Saban hits Bill Belichick with perfect 'full of sh**' response after praise on ESPN College GameDay

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra10/04/25SamraSource
Saban, Belichick-2
Belichick (Bob Donnan-Imagn Images) | (Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Bill Belichick and Nick Saban share a coaching relationship built on respect. It’s spanned decades, and it’s been built on dominating the game of football.

During an appearance on ESPN College GameDay, the two legends reflected on their time together in the NFL in Cleveland. They traded praise and showcased their mutual admiration, as the North Carolina leader spoke with Kirk Herbstreit.

“Well, I learned an awful lot from Coach Saban,” Belichick said. “We came from different defensive systems, and we merged them together in Cleveland. I learned a lot from him about man-to-man coverage, which we didn’t play much of in New York, and the 4–3 defense, which he played at Michigan State and Toledo.

“Watching Nick handle free agents, recruit, and build a program at Alabama — I’m very grateful for our relationship. He’s the best that’s ever done it.”

Saban wasn’t about to let his old friend get the last word. He replied with a grin: “Yeah, well, I never thought in all the time we’ve been friends that I’d ever say you’re full of shit. But I learned a lot more from you than you ever learned from me.”

It was a fittingly hilarious exchange between two of football’s greatest minds. They’ve been competitors, peers and now they’re lifelong friends whose influence on both college and professional football is undeniable.

That’s why as Belichick adjusts to the college game, Saban has preached patience for the all-time NFL head coach. Earlier this season, he spoke about what key differences his friend would face in Chapel Hill.

“I think coaching is coaching, but I do think there are what I’d call operational differences,” Saban stated, via The Pat McAfee Show. “In college, just take the sidelines for instance — you can have 100 guys out there, while in the NFL you’ve only got about 45. That changes a lot in terms of how you manage things, how it affects you, how it impacts you.

“Now, that’s just kind of a silly operational example. I used to make certain guys stand behind the bench because I hated all the traffic on the sidelines. But here’s my point: North Carolina has 70 new players on their roster. Bill is a great coach, a great teacher, and he’s outstanding at developing players. But when you’ve got that many new players, you don’t really have the chance to develop them all right away. 

“So my expectation is that it’s going to be a bit of a work in progress. He’s going to make those players better, they’re going to benefit, and they’re going to create more value for the future because of Bill. But it’s going to take some time, and I think everybody should understand that.”

A win on Saturday for Belichick would lend credibility to Saban’s claim. North Carolina is facing Clemson at Noon ET, and both squads are desperate to get on the right track.