Nick Saban Praises Pitt Ahead of Notre Dame Game

PITTSBURGH — College football head coaching legend and seven-time national champion Nick Saban joined Pittsburgh native Pat McAfee on his self-titled show, 'The Pat McAfee Show' on ESPN, as part of College GameDay hosting its show for the Pitt Panthers' top 25 matchup with No. 9 Notre Dame this week.

McAfee asked Saban about his thoughts on this year's Pitt team and if the Panthers have a shot to give the Fighting Irish their third loss of the season to potentially end their hopes of a College Football Playoff spot.

"I think Pat Narduzzi has done an outstanding job here..

Mason Heintschel is the real deal and this offense can make plays" ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/tAHNlA7tuE
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 14, 2025

Saban's Comments

"When you have a passing team that can make explosive plays, and they're going to air it out all the time, they're the type of team that can upset a team that's better," Saban said. "Because as long as they can protect well enough and the guys can make plays, they've got a chance to score points."

Saban also praised Pat Narduzzi for having Pitt at 7-2 (5-1 ACC) and in position to potentially make a College Football Playoff berth. He also praised Narduzzi for how he has handled true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel.

"I think Pat Narduzzi has done an outstanding job here, no question," Saban said. "I think this is a tough job and I think the job he's done this year, with this team and this freshman quarterback, I mean, this guy is the real deal. He's athletic, he can run, really good passer and they're throwing it 63% of the time."

Saban has made it clear that he believes that the Panthers have a shot to pull off the upset with Heintschel and the passing game. The only thing he's unsure about, offensively, is the matchup between Pitt's wideouts and Notre Dame's secondary.

Nov 1, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Kenny Johnson (2) scores a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

"The question to me is, how does Pitt's receivers match up with Notre Dame's secondary?" Saban said. "Because Notre Dame plays a lot of man-to-man. If they can't beat man-to-man, they'll have a tough time, even though they're going to throw the ball effectively."

Scouting Notre Dame' Secondary

Notre Dame's secondary has forced 15 of its 16 total interceptions this season, with cornerback Leonard Moore and safeties Tae Johnson and Luke Talich leading the way with three each. However, the Irish's pass defense is tied for 88th in the nation, allowing an average of 232.3 yards per game.

These numbers indicate that Notre Dame's secondary plays aggressively when the ball is in he air, but sometimes it comes back to bite them with big explosive plays, something the Panthers' offense loves to generate.

Kenny Johnson, Raphael "Poppi" Williams and Blue Hicks will all likely need big games to pull off the upset. Johnson has shown the ability to take over a game twice this season, Williams has been perhaps the most consistent receiver on the offense and Hicks has been the most explosive of the three, averaging 18.6 yards per catch and totaling four touchdowns.

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