Another player who chose to play for Nick Saban and not Alabama Football

On Thursday when it was learned Kalen DeBoer was adding a transfer quarterback, Tide fans immediately worried that it meant another QB would transfer out. Friday morning ESPN's Pete Thamel reported the exiting Tide QB is expected to be Julian Sayin.

Sayin was one of the 5-Star jewels in the Crimson Tide's 2024 class. According to On3, Julian Sayin was the top quarterback in the 2024 class. He was also ranked as the fifth-best player overall.

The Alabama football coaches assigned as primary recruiters for Sayin are no longer in Tuscaloosa. They were Holman Wiggins and Tommy Rees. Both men were instrumental in Sayin picking the Crimson Tide, but they were the icing, not the cake. The Alabama Football cake was Nick Saban.

For the last 17 years, the two top closers bringing elite players to Tuscaloosa were Nick and Terry Saban. More than a few of the Tide's biggest recruiting gets, chose Alabama because of Nick Saban. To some, playing for Saban was more important than playing for the Crimson Tide.

There is little doubt Kalen DeBoer tried to hold on to Julian Sayin. But with the dynamics described above, building a new bond with a potentially elite player is hard to do with sharks circling. Make no mistake, there are sharks circling Alabama Football - plenty of them. No programs or opposing coaches have to be named while saying the old phrase 'no honor among thieves' applies.

Julian Sayin was an early enrollee. He was not expected to unseat Jalen Milroe as the Crimson Tide's 2024 starter. He was expected by Crimson Tide fans to lead Alabama to glory in the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

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Now that college football is all business, it is not stunning when a top 'employee' is lured away by a competitor. In the business world, it happens frequently. Years ago Nick Saban asked if this is what the college football world wanted. Saban did not want it, but he worked hard to adapt. Fortunately, in what became the rule-less world of college football, the Crimson Tide had Nick Saban to sell to recruits and transfers. That advantage is gone and Julian Sayin is an example.

Alabama football fans are disappointed to lose Sayin and others. So be it. In the fall of 2024 the Crimson Tide will field a talented roster. Alabama will win as Nick Saban once told Julio Jones 'with or without you.'