Legendary former Alabama coach Nick Saban will make his first trip back to Tuscaloosa for his new job Saturday. Saban is now part of the ESPN College GameDay crew, which will set up shop in Tuscaloosa for No. 4 Alabama’s top-five clash against No. 2 Georgia.
Saban has already been a welcome addition to the GameDay crew, adding his expertise during the program's first five shows of the season. Ahead of his homecoming appearance Saturday, Saban garnered praise from his new colleagues for his professionalism, communication and, of course, the expertise he brings to the table.
“We always try to prepare thoroughly but what Nick has brought is a dynamic that this show or any show has never really had,” GameDay host Rece Davis said. “No. 1 he’s a gifted communicator no matter what. Obviously he’s a football expert and legend. So there’s an Xs and Os component and a recency to being at the height of his career coming to TV that I don’t think anybody’s really had in TV before. And him being able to do that and the way he can communicate things and his willingness to be candid and his ability to break things down, I don’t say he makes it simple, he makes it understandable, which is really the mark of a great communicator.”
Saban has already started accomplishing what many expected when he became part of the GameDay crew, expanding everyone’s football knowledge. In his appearances so far, Saban has frequently broken down complex concepts and schemes from teams across college football. The show also has a film room segment where the greatest college football coach of all time can show off the savviness that made him just that.
“You have a tendency, if you’re not a coach, you watch certain things and maybe you think you’re smart, maybe you watch something other than just the ball,” Davis said. “But he shows you different things to watch. It’s just matter-of-fact and the way he views the game. But now you’ll catch yourself saying ‘Oh, he talked about watching this guy being accountable for the quarterback, or this guy immediately when he steps out of the box, now the quarterback knows it’s a quarterback draw.’ Things like that that you learn.”
Davis also emphasized the passion Saban demonstrates on the show for the sport of football as a whole. On GameDay, Saban isn’t afraid to dive into the complex world of NIL or the politics that create the complex college football landscape.
“The thoughts and the experience that he has and knowing that he can rely on what happened, and then it comes to fruition,” GameDay Sports Betting Analyst “Stanford Steve” Coughlin said. “There was a conversation about last week about Florida and Florida State. Florida doesn’t have any alignment in their university. You’ve gone through five coaches and none of them have had success, maybe it's not the coach. But a coach can say that, especially the greatest one of all time. Every situation; every possible deal that we’ve come across for a show’s sake he’s there and its outgoing and when he speaks there’s not a peep in the room. Everybody’s trying to get smarter and that’s because of him.”
Like his coaching role, Saban takes his new gig seriously, but he isn’t afraid to deviate from heavy-hitting college football topics or deep dives into a team’s playbook. After all, College GameDay is there to entertain, and Saban is quickly learning how to do just that, too.
“There’s a lot that comes with College GameDay,” Coughlin said. “You see the trucks here. You see the sets and the space we take up, there’s a lot. And when you go to a room and it's 12 people in a Zoom call, I think people are like ‘I gotta see what I got here.’ So I think it’s just getting comfortable. He’s got more comfortable and it gets more fun every week. It’s been great.”
“He’s been absolutely terrific,” Davis said. “He’s funny. He brings ideas to the meetings. He busts people’s chops. He takes it when you give it to him back. He’s been tremendous, just an amazing teammate.”
Saban will undoubtedly steal the show in front of a huge crowd of adoring Alabama fans on Saturday. The love shown to the former coach will reach a fever pitch when he’s joined by his wife, Miss Terry, who was selected to be the guest picker on Saturday.
As far as who Saban will select between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs, Davis believes that choice won’t be influenced by any external factors.
“You might as well just say what you think,” Davis said. “And I’m confident he’ll do that. He hasn’t hesitated to do that in any facet of his life or the entire time I’ve known him. So I imagine he’ll just say who he thinks is gonna win.”
