“I definitely remember”: When ex Alabama star Bryce Young recalled the moment Nick Saban called him by name

Nick Saban is enjoying retirement from coaching in college football after leaving the Alabama Crimson Tide last year. He made his decision to end his coaching career last January. Since then, he has transitioned to being an analyst for ESPN's College GameDay show.

Saban has made a big impact on the players whom he has coached and fans may recall when former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young spoke about the moment he felt that he had earned his coach's respect. On April 27, 2023, Young appeared on the Stacking the Box podcast with former teammate Will Anderson Jr.

Anderson shared a story about how Saban called players by their jersey numbers instead of their names unless they played well. The Houston Texans defensive end remembered earning his former coach's respect and getting his name called.

"I always say like I graduated from him just calling me by my number to Will," Anderson Jr. said. "So, my freshman year, he just used to be like 31 this, 31 that, and 31 this, and then I guess I have been doing so good at practice, one day I walked past him, and he was like, 'Hey Will, how you doing?' and he just shocked me, because it's like. 'you know my name!'"

The Carolina Panthers quarterback chimed in afterward and shared a similar story of when Saban called him by his name for the first time during a film session.

"He (Saban) was like, 'on this play, you know Bryce is dropping back and going left,' and I was like, he was talking, and we were always on the same row, so he can't really see me out of his peripherals," Young said. "I tapped like J Will and was like, bro, he said Bryce. So yeah, I definitely remember that day, too."

Nick Saban joins the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class

The National Football Foundation announced on January 15 that Saban would be inducted into the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame. He will join accomplished coaches like Urban Meyer and Larry Korver. The 2025 class will also have 18 players, including Michael Strahan and Michael Vick.

Saban received the news of his induction early when his co-host surprised him with the announcement on the January 10 episode of the College GameDay show. Saban responded to the news by speaking about how the award was a reflection of the team and players who he worked with.

"Thank you so much, but anytime anything like this happens, it's because you had a lot of great people in your organization," Saban said. "A lot of great players. A lot of great coaches. A lot of support staff, and they made a great team and I was happy to drive the bus, but we had some great people on it."