Nick Saban didn’t exactly bite his tongue when the conversation turned to Mario Cristobal and the ACC.
On a Friday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the former Alabama coach praised the Miami head coach, then immediately turned the whole thing into a joke about salesmanship.
“This guy is the best salesman in the history of ball,” Saban joked during a Friday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“He’s a great recruiter. If he ever gets fired, he’ll be the best used car salesman in south Florida, I guarantee it.”
Saban said Cristobal keeps trying to make his case for the ACC, and Saban isn’t buying it.
“He calls me up with this ACC bulls--t.
“He’s always trying to convince me the ACC’s better than the SEC> The SEC has nine teams in the top 25. That’s all I know.
It’s a deep conference. It just is.
“The Big Ten is a really good conference and getting better when it comes to depth, but really good at the top with Ohio State and Oregon.
“He’s never going to convince me - never - that the ACC is better than the SEC.”
For Saban, the praise and the jab went hand in hand. He made clear he holds Cristobal in high regard, and he said as much while talking about the Miami coach’s recruiting ability.
"I love Mario Cristobal and he's great recruiter..
He calls me about the ACC all the time" 😂😂
Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Vjh8HVMn8D
- Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 21, 2026
Cristobal’s resume gives him plenty of credibility in the conversation. The Hurricanes went 13-3 last season and reached the College Football Playoff national championship game before losing to Indiana. Miami is considered among the favorites for this year’s title as well.
The 55-year-old Cristobal has coached at Florida International from 2007-12 and at Oregon from 2017-21, along with his four years under Saban at Alabama from 2013-16. Before his coaching career took off, he was a starting offensive lineman at Miami and helped the Hurricanes win the national championship in 1991.
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