Saban talks about 'never quitting a team' in wake of Barnett transfer

Thursday night Alabama coach Nick Saban held his weekly radio show in the wake of Tide quarterback Blake Barnett's decision to transfer from the school. Barnett has been criticized for his timing in the media, many believing it to be a selfish move to transfer four weeks into the season.

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While Saban didn't go so far as to directly criticize Barnett, some of his comments Thursday night were clearly directed at the freshman.

"How many years were you here before you played? Three years?" Saban asked guest host and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy. "I don't think you started a game when you were an undergraduate. Then started for two years and won a national championship."

McElroy responded, "Some things are worth waiting for."

Eli Gold then asked Saban how he felt about the current transfer climate in college football, Saban's response was clearly with Barnett in mind.

"It's one of those things where I think the culture has changed a little bit," Saban said. "I think there's a certain pride people have in competition. There's certain things that I was taught growing up about not quitting and seeing things through. I think it I would have come home and told my dad that I was going to quit the team, I think he would have kicked me out of the house. I don't think I'd have a place to stay."

"I think some of these young guys that have high expectations — sometimes given to them through no fault of their own — whether it's the media makes them the best quarterback or whatever, then the expectation is when they come to Alabama, they're going to have immediate success, they're going to be a starter and all that stuff," Saban said. "And when that doesn't happen, you start to fear the future. 'Am I going to fail in the future. Am I going to have an opportunity to make it in the future.'"

"My dad used to always say 'The grass is always greener on top of the septic tank,'" Saban said. "So it always looks better someplace else. So you think, instead of facing your fears and really overcoming adversity and making yourself better through the competition, you go someplace else thinking it will be better there. But until you face your fears, you're always going to have some of those issues or problems."