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Mario Cristobal Makes A Joke At Nick Saban's Expense On GameDay

Hurricanes coach appeared on ESPN GameDay and took a humorous shot at Nick Saban.
Scott Salomon|
Sep 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal looks on from the sideline against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium.
Sep 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal looks on from the sideline against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Miami (FL) Hurricanes

ESPN College GameDay was live from Berkeley, on Saturday morning. Rece Davis and the crew interviewed both coaches from tonight's Hurricanes game against California.

First, they interviewed Justin Wilcox. Wilcox played to the crowd and got it going, The energy was as loud at 6 am local time as it would be at game time.

Then came Mario Cristobal. Cristobal was sitting with his former boss, Nick Saban, from his days as an assistant coach at Alabama. Saban was lionizing Cristobal as a great recruiter.

Cristobal was known as a great recruiter when he was at Alabama. He came to South Florida and picked out whomever he wanted. He took Calvin Ridley, Jerry Jeudy, and others from the clutches of the state schools and told them they would find gold in Alabama.

They did, They both won national titles and were both selected in the first round of their respective NFL Drafts.

Saban told a story of how Cristobal would go into the schools and talk Spanish to the kids and then they would verbally commit to Alabama.

"I gotta tell you about this guy," Saban said, " We used to go recruting in Miami, when he was on the staff and every school we went to he would talk Spanish. I didn't know what was going on and we would get some players."

Cristobal responded in typical Miami fashion.

"I had to protect him from the Dolphins fans," Cristobal said.

The Canes and the Bears kickoff on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET.

How to Watch: No. 8 Miami vs. Cal; Week 6 College Football TV Schedule

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Scott Salomon
SCOTT SALOMON

Scott Salomon joined On SI in April 2024, covering breaking news and analysis for various On SI channels. Scott covers the NFL, College Football, MLB, and the WNBA. Scott has been covering local and national sports for over 35 years. Scott graduated from the University of Miami School of Communication and the St. Thomas University School of Law. Scott is also a member of the PFWA and the FWAA. Follow Scott Salomon on X @ScottSalomonNFL.

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