Nick Saban unhappy with FSU's "microwave fix" to reload its roster: "Those guys were all in the portal for a reason"

Nick Saban was an open book during his coaching career, and the seven-time national champion has carried that energy to his broadcasting career. Saban has called out Florida State's use of the transfer portal ahead of the 2024 CFB season.

He said on ESPN's College GameDay,

"When it comes to Florida State, they've always taken the microwave fix, I call it," Saban said. "Take a lot of guys from the portal. Sometimes that works, and sometimes that doesn't... Those guys were all in the portal for a reason."

After going undefeated last year, Florida State has started the 2024 season poorly, with three defeats from its first three games.

The Future Hall of Famer has made it clear he is not a fan of the transfer portal. He cited it as one of the reasons why he left Alabama.

FSU added 17 players via the transfer portal, including some of Nick Saban's former recruits

Ahead of the 2024 college football season, FSU added a staggering 17 players via the transfer portal. The Seminoles have never shied away from using the portal to recruit new players, and they were particularly aggressive in 2024.

Interestingly, the Seminoles added five former Alabama Crimson Tide players to their playing roster. They are linebacker Shawn Murphy, running back Roydell Williams, IOL Terrence Ferguson, wide receiver Malik Benson, and cornerback Earl Little Jr. These players were once recruited by Nick Saban, so it's not hard to see why he's particularly displeased with FSU's portal activity.

Furthermore, Nick Saban just might have a point. The Seminoles had yet to record a win in the 2024 college football season. They'd lost their first three games and have yet to score over 28 points in a single game.

However, the Noles finally got off the mark on Saturday by beating the Cal Golden Bears at home, 14-9. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who was booed during pregame introductions, had another rough outing, going 16-of-27 for 177 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

Running back Lawrance Toafili added 80 yards on 17 carries with one TD, while wideout Ja'Khi Douglas had 86 yards on four catches with one score.