University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has endorsed his “friend” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) in the senator’s tightly contested reelection bid, per a new campaign ad released on Wednesday.

Saban, who was born in Fairmont, WV in 1951, was joined in the ad by two other natives and sports legends of the Mountain State – Jerry West and Bob Huggins.

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“Joe and I grew up together in West Virginia, and he never forgets where he came from,” Saban says to open the ad.

Saban later adds, “I don’t have a better friend or know a better person than Joe Manchin.”

Manchin is running against the Republican Attorney General of West Virginia, Patrick Morrisey. Polling released Monday shows Manchin with a four-point lead and  a considerable favorability advantage in the race.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn