Nick Saban uncorks powerful story on Jimmy Sexton attempting to stop NFL move: 'Biggest mistake that I ever made'

One year after leading LSU to a national championship, Nick Saban found himself facing one of the biggest decisions of his career. The Miami Dolphins were calling, offering him the chance to be a head coach in the NFL after what was already a decorated run in the college game.

It wasn’t an easy call to make. But, as he shared on The Pivot, Saban said his agent Jimmy Sexton attempted to stop what turned out to be “the biggest mistake” of his professional career.

Saban and Sexton weighed the decision outside former LSU athletics director Skip Bertman’s office. During their conversation, Sexton posed a question. Saban didn’t miss a beat when answering, but still decided to head to the NFL.

Nick Saban only has one regret… leaving LSU. Sitting on then LSU athletic Director’s Skip Bertman’s balcony Nick’s agent Jimmy Sexton asked…
“Do you want to be Bear Bryant or Vince Lombardi?”

Without hesitation Saban answered “Bear Bryant”. Still, he made the decision to… pic.twitter.com/l6ikTPa9RC

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 21, 2025

“Jimmy Sexton stood on a balcony when I was getting ready to leave LSU and make a decision about whether I went to Miami or stayed at LSU,” Saban said. “He said, ‘What do you want your legacy to be as a coach? Do you want to be Vince Lombardi? Or do you want to be Bear Bryant?’ And without hesitation, I said, ‘Bear Bryant.’

“He said, ‘What are you doing going to Miami, then?’ … That’s the truth. Outside of Skip Bertman’s office, on the balcony. And I went anyway.”

Saban’s run with the Dolphins only lasted two years, and he previously addressed why it didn’t go as he necessarily thought it would. But he learned an important lesson amid the 15-17 record. He was meant to coach college football – although that didn’t diminish his respect for the professional game.

“I think sometimes you have to learn about yourself,” Saban said. “You might think things – when I left LSU. That was probably, professionally, the biggest mistake that I ever made. Not because we didn’t have success in Miami, because I enjoyed coaching in Miami, but I found out in that experience, I like coaching in college better because you can develop players – personally, academically, athletically and all that – a little more than in pro ball.

“Even though I love the status of coaching in pro football and the kind of guys you coach and you’re coaching in the best league against the best players. I loved all that. Then, I can’t go back to LSU.”

From there, the rest is history. Nick Saban, thanks in large part to the late Mal Moore’s efforts, returned to college football in 2007 as the head coach at Alabama. After leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships – and, with seven in total, moving past Bear Bryant for the most in history – he retired after the 2023 season widely regarded as the greatest of all time.