Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban walks onto the field before the SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Nick Saban has ventured into unfamiliar territory on ESPN College GameDay. While his analysis is valued by many of the viewers watching, the seven-time national champion is likely still getting acclimated to his new, wacky environment. A familiar face from his days reigning atop the SEC and college football world could help ease the legendary head coach’s transition.
Heisman Trophy winner and Texas A&M great Johnny Manziel joined his old Alabama foe on set, as he served as the longtime running show’s guest game picker for Week 1 of the 2024 season. Footage was shown of Manziel disorienting the Crimson Tide defense en route to a massive Aggies road victory in 2012.
This might not been an ideal blast from the past for Saban.“I have nightmares about those plays,” he joked, via AL.com’s Mark Heim. The Alabama football icon might not be alone on that front.
Johnny Manziel spoiled Alabama’s day in 2012
Former Texas A&M Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel cheers on the Aggies during the first round game between Texas A&M and Nebraska in the 2024 NCAA Tournament
Nick Saban and Tuscaloosa have a ton of accolades to obscure the agony that comes from such a defeat, but actually doing so is not easy. The Tide only lost 18 games against SEC competition while Saban was at the helm, so that 29-24 loss to Texas A&M is sure to stick out.
Johnny Manziel relished the opportunity to play on a huge stage and took full advantage of it. He completed all but seven of his pass attempts for 253 yards and two touchdowns while also carving up Bama on the ground. The No. 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft was incredibly elusive in the high-profile showdown, rushing 14 times for 98 yards. He used his entire arsenal to defeat college football’s biggest Goliath.
The thing is, though, Saban and Alabama got back up on their feet and proceeded to win both the 2012 SEC and national titles. The fact that the greatest HC of all-time admits to still thinking about this single loss, even if he did so facetiously, speaks to the perfectionism this man relentlessly emphasized on a regular basis.
But exemplifying that quality is not necessarily conducive to a memorable edition of College GameDay.
Nick Saban is learning what GameDay is all about
The show is arguably at its best when combining insightful analysis with a healthy dose of high jinks. Sometimes, ESPN leans heavily into the latter, as was the case on Saturday.
Pat McAfee took off his shirt to appease the raucous Texas A&M fans in College Station, and Lee Corso went into the vault and once again donned the leprechaun outfit as he picked the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to defeat the Aggies (they did). It was a full day for Saban, who sat next to a dancing McAfee, was hugged by a shirtless McAfee and was reminded of one of his biggest upset losses all in one morning.
The GameDay vibes seem to be rubbing off on him, however. While discussing NIL, he cursed during the broadcast a la Corso. At the end of all the madness, Saban made sure to bask in the excitement, the likes of which he had never seen before.
“I’ve never been to anything like this,” he said, via Awful Announcing. “This is so much fun.” Hopefully, that feeling will not wear off, because he is just getting started. The atmosphere should remain electric when College GameDay rolls into Ann Arbor next weekend for a huge clash between Michigan and Texas.
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