Nick Saban Booed by Tennessee Fans During College GameDay Ahead of Texas Game

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban drew boos and a profane chant from Tennessee fans on ESPN's College GameDay in Knoxville on Saturday, and he answered the crowd with a jab about his record against the Volunteers.

Saban, now a GameDay analyst, made the comment from the set on the Ayres Hall lawn. "I'm all in on the University of Tennessee … because we smoked 16 of 17 cigars when we played y'all," Saban said.

The crowd answered with a chant of "F--- Nick Saban."

Fans also booed when ESPN host Rece Davis introduced Saban as "the greatest coach in the history of college football."

ESPN analyst Pat McAfee then told Saban why the crowd was so loud. "Yeah, I'll tell you, they're booing Coach Saban because of your greatness, pal," McAfee said. "They were saying some other stuff about Coach Saban before we went live. I did not know it was going to be like that."

What do Saban's 16 cigars mean?

Nick Saban Booed by Tennessee Fans Ahead of Texas Game — Former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban | USA TODAY Sports

Alabama has handed out victory cigars after wins over Tennessee since the 1950s, when an Alabama trainer started the tradition. The winning team passes out cigars in the locker room, and the school usually reports it as a rules violation because the cigars count as an extra benefit.

Saban's "16 of 17" line points to his record against Tennessee at Alabama. He went 16-1 against the Vols in 17 seasons from 2007 to 2023, and that run included a 15-game winning streak from 2007 to 2021.

His only loss came in 2022, when Tennessee won 52-49 on a last-second field goal by Tennessee kicker Chase McGrath.

Nick Saban's record in Knoxville

Saban's Alabama teams won their first seven games at Neyland Stadium and outscored Tennessee 303-100 in those trips. The 2022 loss ended that run, so Saban finished 7-1 in Knoxville with the Crimson Tide.

He also lost there once while coaching LSU. Tennessee beat Saban's Tigers 26-18 at Neyland Stadium in 2001, but LSU beat the Vols 31-20 in the Southeastern Conference title game that season. Saban's first LSU team also beat Tennessee 38-31 in overtime in Baton Rouge in 2000.

Before GameDay's 2025 stop in Knoxville, Saban recalled the 2014 game, when former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin returned as Alabama's offensive coordinator. "We got the all-time record for boos when Lane (Kiffin) came out of the tunnel," Saban said. "This is a hard place to play."

Tennessee fans also changed the words of "Dixieland Delight" to curse Saban during that 2025 GameDay visit.

Texas at Tennessee kickoff details

No. 1 Texas (3-0) visits No. 14 Tennessee (3-0) at noon ET on ABC. It's the conference opener for both teams and the first regular-season meeting between the programs. Texas won two of the three previous meetings, and all three came in the Cotton Bowl.

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