Who are Nick Saban's co-panelists on ESPN College Gameday? Looking at the former Alabama HC's career post retirement
As every dedicated college football fan now knows, the era of Nick Saban in Alabama is over. After seven national titles (the most in CFB history) and an insane winning percentage as head coach, Saban is now retired and is enjoying the fruits of his labor. However, that doesn't mean he's stepping away from the game for good.
Saban, being the football man he's always been, remains closely tied to the gridiron – now joining ESPN's College GameDay as an analyst. But of course, he won't be the only voice there sharing his thoughts on the game.
Here's what the legendary tactician had to say (via The Washington Post):
“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.”
Nick Saban's College GameDay co-panelists
It is still unclear who will be Nick Saban's College GameDay co-panelists, as his appointment to the show is still fairly recent. However, there is a good chance that he'll be joined on the panel by a lot of very familiar faces – especially to avid college football fans.
As part of the show's regular panel, Saban will likely share the spotlight with other analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee, who are all set to return. Corso shares some similarities with the former Alabama coach as he's also a retired head tactician himself, having made stops in Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois between 1969 and 1984.
This is also not the first time Saban will be on the panel with Corso, Herbstreit, Howard and McAfee, as he already joined College GameDay with these folks multiple times as a guest.
Nick Saban's College GameDay stint is already 'pre-ordained'
Saban joining College GameDay as an analyst seems like it feels right for some reason. That's because even before this announcement, multiple indications were showing the iconic coach could go down this road.
ESPN and Saban notably expanded their partnership last season, before the network itself earned broadcast rights over the SEC this year (via AL.com). This resulted in Saban appearing every week on "The Pat McAfee Show", where the former Alabama HC reportedly earned seven figures for 15-20 minute appearances. Not to mention, Saban said in an interview with ESPN's Rece Davis that he likely isn't fond of the common retiree's lifestyle:
“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.”