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Retired head football coach Nick Saban has announced his next professional move, and it comes as no surprise to college football followers. After wrapping up Season 17 with the Tide, he called it quits on a career.
What’s up next? Saban will reportedly join the College GameDay crew as an analyst next season.
Nick Saban joins ESPN as a @CollegeGameDay analyst
Alongside host Rece Davis & analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard & Pat McAfee at the desk
The 7x National Champion head coach will also appear on NFL Draft & SEC Media Days coverage
🔗 https://t.co/MtFTWpsCsO pic.twitter.com/bYC6nG8gnq
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 7, 2024
Here’s more on the announcement from the ESPN Press Room:
Saban will work primarily as an analyst on the set of College GameDay Built by The Home Depot (regular season and post-season editions), ESPN’s award-winning weekly college football road show.
Saban will also contribute to ESPN’s extensive, multi-day NFL Draft coverage, and make appearances tied to SEC Media Days across ESPN platforms, including SEC Network.
Saban, who has made many guest appearances on College GameDay through the years, will join a team that includes host Rece Davis, analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee, as well as college football insider Pete Thamel, reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims, and college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin.
For those who have followed the legendary head coach throughout his career, this is no surprise.
Saban’s often voiced his interest in sports media, making a multitude of appearances on ESPN over the years. Those include his most recent spots as a weekly guest on the Pat McAfee Show.
Saban previewed a future in broadcast immediately after his retirement announcement in a conversation with soon-to-be co-host Rece Davis.
Nick Saban addressed his potential broadcasting future further in an ESPN interview with Rece Davis. https://t.co/nnPTFqJ9Sj pic.twitter.com/R51C8gNMZr
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 11, 2024
“I’m going to keep working… I don’t want to get up in the morning and watch Netflix. I want to do something… I’d probably like to do (broadcasting), but someone told me once you can’t start a broadcasting career at 80.”
The coach ‘Let the Naysayers Know’ that age can’t control his professional ambitions.
Since hanging up the clip board, Saban has filled his free time with golf outings and beach trips, but he’s never been one to sit still. Most didn’t expect him to stray too far from the game he loves even after his retirement decision.
The man just can’t stop working!
Given his status as college football’s GOAT and his incredible ability to both breakdown a concept and effectively communicate it to an audience, Saban should be fantastic addition to the College GameDay crew.
Viewers will get their first dose of post-retirement Nick Saban next fall.