Nick Saban tells LSU’s Aaron Anderson he’d ‘be playing more’ if he stuck with Alabama

Nick Saban’s recruiting for 2024 could perhaps include one of his former players.

Saban and his No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide improved to 8-1 this season by defeating their rival, No. 13 LSU, 42-28.

Among the Tigers going home with a loss was receiver Aaron Anderson, who transferred to LSU from Alabama in December.

Anderson, who played just three snaps for the Crimson Tide in an injury-riddled 2022 season, is a redshirt freshman this year at LSU and has recorded 12 catches for 59 yards.

“You’d be playing more here than you are there,” Saban told Anderson while embracing after the game, wearing a wide grin on his face.

Anderson, who didn’t record a catch against his old team, played on 132 offensive snaps this season prior to the game against Alabama, according to Pro Football Focus.

Coincidentally, in August, Saban said that only one transfer bothered him in last year’s portal, though he didn’t and still hasn’t clarified who he had been talking about.

“I’m not mentioning any names – but there’s only like one player that I was really like disappointed that the guy didn’t stay here, and I couldn’t understand why he was leaving,” he said. “And all the rest of them, they would have contributed if they stayed and had the right attitude, but it’s their choice. And what we have an opportunity to do when guys leave is we have an opportunity to replace them, too.”

Maybe he was talking about Anderson after all, but we’ll probably never know for sure.