Nick Saban didn’t exactly walk into Iowa City as a hometown favorite, but he left Friday with the kind of reception Hawkeye fans don’t forget.
With ESPN’s “College GameDay” back in Iowa City for the first time in 20 years, Pat McAfee brought “The Pat McAfee Show” to town on Friday, October 2, and the set turned into a full-on stop on the college football tour. Kirk Ferentz was among the guests, reflecting on his time with the program, and McAfee’s co-analyst on CGD added another layer to the day with plenty of praise for Iowa City and the crowd around the show.
The biggest compliments, though, came from Saban.
“This is always a tough place to play..
I've been very impressed by this group of people here..
This is the first time I've ever been cheered in Iowa" 😂😂 ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/5qb161fQEb
- Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 2, 2026
Saban has built his reputation in college football across three major stops. He went 48-16 at LSU with three bowl wins, then rose to a different level at Alabama, where he finished 201-29 with six national championships and nine SEC titles.
After a 2-6 start in 2007, Alabama lost just 14 games over the next decade and only 29 total in Saban’s 17 seasons. Before all of that, he was at Michigan State, where he finished 34-24 and spent plenty of time facing Iowa.
That background made his comments hit even harder. Saban said Iowa City has “always” been a difficult place to play, and he admitted he doesn’t have many good memories from his games against the Hawkeyes. He also pointed to the program’s “great tradition and enthusiasm” from its fans and noted that Iowa has had good teams.
For Hawkeye fans, hearing that kind of praise from Saban carries real weight.
Iowa has been drawing more attention after its road win over Michigan at Michigan Stadium, and the buzz around this weekend’s top-15 showdown with Ohio State only raised the temperature. Rece Davis even said he was pulling for the Hawkeyes against the Wolverines because he wanted the show back in Iowa City. By Friday, the celebration was already in full swing - and Saban’s comments gave the crowd one more reason to feel good about where this program stands.
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