Alabama lost to Tennessee 26-10 on Saturday, marking their second straight loss. With a second loss, both of them coming in SEC play, hopes of Alabama making the playoffs again are dwindling.
After falling again, there are people taking shots at Alabama, including a former LSU player, Breiden Fehoko, posting on X, formerly Twitter.
“Funny how Alabama became mid once the playing field leveled and teams could publicly pay players. Nick Saban couldn’t funnel money from those dealerships to players anymore, forcing him into retirement,” Fehoko wrote.
Fehoko began his college football career playing at Texas Tech. After two seasons, he transferred to LSU. His final season of college football was in 2019 when LSU won the national championship. Fehoko went undrafted in 2020 and spent time with the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring in 2025.
Meanwhile, he is not 100 percent correct either. NIL joined the college football world ahead of the 2021 season. Saban took Alabama to the National Championship game, losing to Georgia that season. The next year, they would miss the playoffs, but win the Sugar Bowl and finish ranked fifth in the nation. In 2023, he took Alabama back to the playoffs, losing in the semifinal to eventual national champion Michigan. Saban has also addressed NIL and his retirement, per Anthony G. Halkias II of Heavy.
Article Continues Below“But I think that it was just time for me, 72 years old,” Saban said, also pointing out his desire to spend time with family and outside of coaching.
The allegations of the car dealerships helping pay for players are also not new. It has been around the Alabama program in the past, but also with multiple other programs. He also needs to remember that Odell Beckham Jr. handed out cash to players on the field after the 2020 National Championship game. Saban was never found to have provided improper benefits, and Alabama is still making more noise than LSU.