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Nick Saban Shares Favorite College GameDay Moment: Roll Call, Jan. 2, 2025

Your daily briefing on what's going on with Alabama athletics, including how to watch the Crimson Tide.
Hunter De|
Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide former football coach and current ESPN analyst Nick Saban on the set of ESPN's College Game Day at the University of Texas on the South Mall, before a game between the Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide former football coach and current ESPN analyst Nick Saban on the set of ESPN's College Game Day at the University of Texas on the South Mall, before a game between the Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

A bit after his retirement on Jan. 10, legendary former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, who won six National Championships at Alabama, joined ESPN's College GameDay as an analyst.

The program, which first aired in 1987, has had a plethora of new faces serve as panelists over the years, and this season's newest addition in Saban truly made a massive impression on the rest of the group and viewers of the show as well.

“I think a lot of people can relate to this, when you leave a profession where you worked for 50 years and go do something else. And then having the opportunity to be part of GameDay and look at the game from 1,000 feet and work with you guys, who have helped me tremendously," Saban said during Wednesday's broadcast in response to fellow analyst Kirk Herbstreit saying the addition of the legendary coach on the show was his personal highlight of the season.

Fans got to see a different side of Saban at the desk as he told jokes and shared his laughter with millions, while also giving thorough analysis for a variety of teams and positions that got the college football world excited to see him on the screen whenever he opened his mouth. Speaking of his mouth, Saban hilariously swore on the show countless times, and that was a big part of his favorite memory on College GameDay this season.

“And my best moment was being able to call ‘bulls**t’ on Sark and Kirby," Saban said.

The moment occurred during the SEC Championship game when Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian were asked about pregame adjustments ahead of a rematch. They both said that it's the simple things that need to stay the course and that it's not always on the scheme but rather the players. Smart was the defensive coordinator at Alabama under Saban from 2007-15 while Sarkisian was the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator from 2019-20.

Today’s Crimson Tide Schedule

Women's basketball vs. Florida at 6 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum and on SEC Network+

Crimson Tide Results

No results.

Did You Notice?

  • Saban opened up about Oregon star wide receiver Tez Johnson on College GameDay, rhetorically asking why Alabama didn't recruit the Birmingham native and that he should've fired the scout in that area. Before the All-Big Ten Second Team member played for the Ducks he was previously at Troy––another easy missed opportunity to make a recruiting pitch.
  • Now out of eligibility, Alabama tight end CJ Dippre is "excited for the next chapter" of his life. He also received an invite to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
  • Former Alabama standout golfer Justin Thomas will be playing “pissed off” this year, per Sports Illustrated's Max Schreiber. Thomas believes he's fully capable of having a season like world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler.
  • Alabama kicker Graham Nicholson accepted an invitation to the Caribe Royale Orlando 2025 Hula Bowl All-Star Game.
  • Many college football fans have recently suggested that Saban would be an excellent choice to become the next commissioner of the sport. Penn State head coach James Franklin seems to endorse this idea but Saban joked about it on College GameDay.

On This Date in Crimson Tide History:

January 2, 1965: The New York Jets signed Joe Namath to largest rookie contract in pro football history: $427,000. It included a provision guaranteeing him a lifetime pension of $5,000 a year from the Jets.

January 2, 1967: Kenny Stabler, in a near flawless performance, passed and ran Alabama to a 34-7 rout of Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl. The win completed a perfect 11-0 season for Alabama.

January 2, 1978: In the much-heralded matchup of coaches, Alabama's Paul W. “Bear” Bryant vs. Ohio State's Woody Hayes, the Crimson Tide dominated from the start for a 35-6 victory in the first appearance of a Big Ten school in the Sugar Bowl. Quarterback Jeff Rutledge was named game MVP.

January 2, 1988: Michigan edged Alabama in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, 28-24. The Wolverines scored the game-winning touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Demetrius Brown to John Kolesar.

Crimson Tide Quote of the Day:

“Woody is a great coach ... and I ain't bad.”

— Paul W. “Bear” Bryant after Alabama defeated Ohio State 35-6 in the 1978 Sugar Bowl

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Hunter De Siver
HUNTER DE

Hunter De Siver is the lead basketball writer for BamaCentral and has covered Crimson Tide football since 2024. He previously distributed stories about the NFL and NBA for On SI and was a staff writer for Missouri Tigers On SI and Cowbell Corner. Before that, Hunter generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral as an intern in 2022 and 2023. Hunter is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media in 2023.

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