Najee Harris opens up on the impact Nick Saban, Miss Terry had on him

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban convinced former five-star running back Najee Harris to go from California to Tuscaloosa to play for the Crimson Tide.

It’s a move that Harris is still thankful he made today after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Ahead of the Steelers’ playoff game against the Bills on Sunday, and a day after Nick Saban retired, Harris spoke about the impact Saban has had on his life.

“Nick did a lot. I remember my first time meeting Nick, he came all the way down to California, in the hood. I mean no security. Well, he did have security. And then he came in my house and I had a small little hut. He was chopping it up with me,” Najee Harris recalled in a video posted by Brooke Pryor. “He’s a good guy. In my four years at Alabama he taught me a lot of the Xs and Os and what to expect in the NFL.

“We had a lot of meetings just 1-on-1, of things I needed to work on and just improving my game. And just really how to become a first-rounder for a running back, even though a lot of people don’t like that.”

Harris won a pair of national titles, as well as the Doak Walker Award, during his four seasons at Alabama. He ended his college career with more than 3,800 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns. As a senior, Harris rushed for 1,466 yards and 26 scores, while averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

Harris isn’t surprised that Saban chose now to step away from the game.

“He really elevated me, in a way. Just him retiring, he told me after my rookie year, I thought he was joking in a way, it’s because of all the stuff that’s going on in college,” Harris said.

“I saw in my phone, I’m like, ‘Damn, I guess he was serious.’ It’s going to be different, especially because you don’t know who’s going to be there.”

Najee Harris is not only thankful for what Saban did for him on the field but also how Saban and his wife — Miss Terry — helped him and his family away from the field.

“Besides the college coach and the NFL, what he did for the community, him and Miss Terry, not only that but what Miss Terry did for my own family, like my mom. I remember my mom was sick, she came in the hospital and went out of her way to attend to her and give her flowers and stuff. And that little stuff right there means a lot to me personally,” Harris said.

“My mother is obviously somebody special in my life, and for Miss Terry to go in there and do that, it means a lot. There’s things that they have done besides football. … It’s going to be different, but it’s his decision to make and everybody has their time. As long as he’s happy with his decision, that’s all you can ask for, really.”