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Nick Saban has become a prominent figure on ESPN's college football coverage since retiring from coaching. He has been a key part of College GameDay since 2024, and the network recently debuted a six-part documentary series about him. However, their relationship wasn't always so harmonious.
When College GameDay visited Tuscaloosa for Week 6, the show revisited a comment Saban made about ESPN while he was still leading the Alabama Crimson Tide. Saban didn't back down from his old sentiment, labeling the network's influence as 'rat poison.'
Key Analysis
In a clip from his coaching days, Saban expressed his disdain for the Saturday morning picks on College GameDay. 'I used to hate it on Saturday morning,' he said. 'Everybody [on College GameDay] picks us to win. And I know the players are watching that.' He explained his philosophy of 'lock on and lock out,' urging players to block out external opinions. When asked by Pat McAfee if players should still listen to ESPN personalities, Saban bluntly replied, 'Hell no.'
McAfee then praised the documentary, but the irony remained: Saban now works for the very network he once warned against. His coaching record at Alabama—206-17 over 17 seasons—suggests that external predictions had little impact on his teams' performance. For the Week 6 game, Saban picked Alabama to beat Georgia, along with Desmond Howard and Bryce Young, while McAfee chose Georgia. The effect of these picks on the game remains to be seen.
Originally reported by yahoo.