After a career of warning against ‘rat poison’, Nick Saban has decided to begin offering some himself. The former Alabama head coach will join ESPN as a media analyst.
The network announced Saban will be a part of its NFL Draft coverage and make an appearance at this summer’s Southeastern Conference Media Days in Dallas. Most notably, Saban will make his long-rumored transition to the “College GameDay” desk.
“ESPN and ‘College GameDay’ have played such an important role in the growth of college football, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to join their team. I’ll do my best to offer additional insights and perspectives to contribute to College GameDay, the ultimate Saturday tradition for college football fans,” Saban said in a release issued Wednesday.
Saban and ESPN expanded their partnership last season ahead of the network owning the SEC broadcast rights in 2024. Saban had a weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” which ESPN recently bought the rights to air. Saban reportedly earned seven figures for his 15-to-20-minute interviews. Saban will now join some of the sport’s preeminent broadcasters, from Lee Corso to Kirk Herbstreit and more.
Saban retired Jan. 10 after a 17-year run with the Crimson Tide. He won six national championships. Though Saban’s first assignment has yet to be released, he’ll likely get a chance to comment on some members of his final team through the draft process. Dallas Turner, Terrion Arnold, Kool-Aid McKinstry and JC Latham are all potential first-round selections.
“Nick Saban is a singular, iconic presence in college football,” said ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, per the release. “He is also an extremely gifted communicator, who will immediately add even more credibility, authority and entertainment value to ESPN, including our esteemed ‘College GameDay’ show.”
Last season’s GameDay also welcomed McAfee as a marquee personality. Per the network, ‘GameDay’ is coming off its fourth-most viewed season in the show’s 37-year run.
Since Saban ended his on-field career one month ago, ESPN’s Rece Davis has been the lone media member to interview the legendary coach. The pair joked at a potential future in television together. Front Office Sports then reported that ESPN viewed Saban as the “perfect” replacement for Corso, who will turn 89-years-old in August.
“I’m going to keep working. I don’t want to get up and watch Netflix. I want to do something. I have some businesses, maybe there’s some other opportunities out there for me somewhere. … I’m looking for challenges. We have businesses, we have lots of things,” Saban told Davis at the time.
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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].
