Najee Harris apparently did not vibe with Nick Saban, Alabama football

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris revealed that he felt “belittled” by Alabama head coach Nick Saban and that he actually left the school briefly.

Najee Harris is entering his second year as the starting running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Prior to that, he spent his college days playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide football program, culminating in him winning the CFP National Championship for the second time in his senior year.

In a recent interview with “The Pivot Podcast,” Harris spoke about his relationship with Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who revealed that the two did butt heads and that he felt “belittled.” In fact, Harris said that he left the school for two weeks in the 2020 season.

You can listen to a clip of Harris’ comments in Ryan Clark’s tweet below. The full interview is linked in the paragraph above.

Alabama football: Najee Harris speaks negatively on relationship with Nick Saban

“It was COVID year, and I came back to school,” Harris said, h/t Mike Rodak of AL.com. “It was our last incident. Imagine all four years, we kind of like, bumped heads, in a good way. Then I guess COVID year — last incident happened and I left school.

“I’m like, ‘Man, I’m not messing with y’all. I’m gone.’ So I left school for like two weeks. Yeah, people didn’t know that. I left school for like two weeks.”

Harris mentioned that he met with Saban in his office after leaving, and the two exchanged words. Ultimately, Harris said that Saban took time to understand who he was as a player, and said that their relationship since has been “rock solid.”

The 2020 season was a spectacular one for Harris, as he ran for 1,466 yards and 26 touchdowns on 251 carries and caught 43 passes for 425 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games. Harris earned the Doak Walker award for best running back in college. In the SEC Championship Game against Florida, Harris ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns on 31 attempts, while recording five receptions for 67 yards and three touchdowns to win the MVP award.

Harris was selected with the 24th overall pick by the Steelers in the 2021 NFL Draft. In his rookie year, he ran for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns on 307 carries. He also caught 74-of-94 targets for 467 yards and three touchdowns.

While Harris said that he and Saban got into arguments during their time together at Alabama, the two have a strong relationship now.

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