Former Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked Wednesday by Pat McAfee why the Tide did not hire one of Saban’s former assistants following his retirement two years ago.

Saban, in answering the question, also reacted to Alabama’s blowout loss to Indiana in last week’s Rose Bowl that ended Kalen DeBoer’s second year as Alabama’s coach.

“I think if somebody was available – I’m not sure anybody was available that they could have maybe gotten to come here,” Saban responded on the Pat McAfee Show. “I do think that Kalen DeBoer is a really good coach and doing a good job here. This is a tough transition, especially in this environment that we live in in college football in terms of players coming and going. I think there was like 26 players that got into the portal when I retired. That’s a lot to overcome for anybody. It would have been a lot to overcome even for one of the guys that formerly coached for me.”

The coaches of all four of the remaining College Football Playoff teams — Ole Miss’ Pete Golding, Miami’s Mario Cristobal, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Oregon’s Dan Lanning — all coached for Saban at Alabama at one point.

“I fully support Greg Byrne in what he decided to do and what he’s done it,” Saban continued. “I’m hoping they get the ship going in the right direction here. It’s not bad to get in the playoffs and finish in the final eight, but not the expectation around here, which is tough to live up to sometimes.”

Saban, who remains employed by Alabama, conducted Wednesday’s interview from his Bryant-Denny Stadium office.