Najee Harris Opens Up about Nick Saban’s Impact

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris played for Nick Saban, and even went back to school for a fourth season, a rarity for a successful running back, so it’s clear that he enjoyed playing for the Alabama coach, who retired on Wednesday after winning seven national titles as a collegiate head coach.

On Thursday, Harris also talked at length about the connection he had with Saban as a person, and the impact that he made away from football

“Nick did a lot,” Harris said. “I remember my first time meeting Nick, he came all the way down to California, in the hood. … He came to my house. I had a small little hut and he was chopping it up with me. He was a good guy.

“My four years in Alabama, he taught me a lot about the Xs and Os and what to expect in the NFL. We had a lot of meetings, just 1 on 1 of things I needed I to work on and just improve on my game. Just really how to become a first-rounder for a running back, even though a lot of people don’t like that. He really elevated me in a way. 

“Besides the college coach and the NFL, just him as a person, what he did in the community, him and Miss Terry, and not only that, what Miss Terry did for my own family and my mom. I remember when my mom was sick, she went out of her day and came into the hospital to attend to her and give her flowers and stuff. That little stuff right there means a lot to me personally. My mother is obviously somebody special in my life. For Miss Terry to go in there and do that, it means a lot. It’s things that they have done besides football that not only the university likes but just the state of Alabama.”