Legendary former Alabama coach Nick Saban revealed on College Game Day that he was in attendance for the Crimson Tide’s second scrimmage of fall camp last Saturday. In addition to Alabama’s current coaches, Saban was impressed with what he saw.

"That team still has the same culture they had when I was the coach," Saban said. "They play with toughness, they play with great effort, they execute well, they've got good discipline."

Alabama's defense came out of the scrimmage earning praise from the coaching staff. Both DeBoer and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. Both coaches highlighted a noticeable improvement in Alabama's tackling and physicality. Saban also noticed the strength of Alabama's defensive unit and said the Crimson Tide are poised to contend in a competitive SEC in 2025.

“Kalen [DeBoer] has done a really good job," Saban said. "He's had to replace some players because so many guys transferred. But I really think Alabama, with Jalen Milroe, the two running backs they have... I was worried about the defense, but I think the defense really impressed me in this scrimmage that they have come along. If they can play the kind of defense, especially in the secondary because they lost so many players in the secondary, they’re going to be right up there challenging people.”

Saban doubled down on his confidence in DeBoer and the Crimson Tide this season by picking them as the No. 7 seed in his 12-team playoff prediction during College Game Day. He had the Crimson Tide hosting No. 10 seed Notre Dame in the first round, with the winner advancing to play No. 2 seed Ohio State.

Georgia earned the No. 1 seed prediction from the former Alabama coach. Saban had Florida State at No. 3 and Utah at No. 4 to round out his top four.

Here are Saban's first-round matchup picks.

No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Liberty

No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 LSU

No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 10 Notre Dame

No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 9 Penn State