Kirk Herbstreit is getting a little extra time with Nick Saban before College GameDay hits Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
The ESPN analyst said he’ll have dinner with Saban’s family on Friday night ahead of the show, which will air from inside Coleman Coliseum because of the weather rolling into town. “But it’s cool that we’ll be there with Coach Saban back home.
We’re gonna have a nice dinner there on Friday evening with the Sabans. Looking forward to that,” Herbstreit said.
He didn’t reveal where the dinner will be held or offer any other details.
Herbstreit brought up the dinner after talking about the show’s adjusted setup for Saturday morning. ESPN announced Thursday that GameDay will be staged from Alabama’s basketball arena as Isaias brings rain and wind toward Tuscaloosa.
“With the winds and the rain, they’ve made that announcement,” Herbstreit said. “We’re going to welcome everybody to come out to Coleman Coliseum and make it a wild atmosphere inside.”
Coleman Coliseum seats more than 15,000 and has previously hosted the basketball version of GameDay, but this will be the first time the football show originates there. It’s also the second indoor broadcast for the crew this season, following the move into LSU’s student union because of lightning.
Saturday’s show runs from 9 a.m. to noon ET, and fans can start lining up at the north and east entrances at 6:15 a.m. ET. Former Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young, now with the Carolina Panthers, will serve as the guest picker.
Herbstreit’s connection with Saban goes back to the coach’s days at Michigan State. On The Dan Patrick Show in April, Herbstreit said, “I’ve known him since he was the head coach at Michigan State. So, I’ve known him for almost 25 years,” Herbstreit said.
The Ohio State alum has called each of Saban’s six national title teams at Alabama and has said Saban is his favorite coach to cover. When Saban retired in January 2024 after a Rose Bowl loss to Michigan, Herbstreit noted that the coach finished 199-16 from 2008 to 2023.
ESPN later added Saban to the GameDay desk that fall, and he now works alongside Herbstreit, who is celebrating 30 years on the show. Herbstreit said Saban even seeks out his feedback after segments. “But he wants to be coached like he’s a player,” Herbstreit said.
Alabama will host GameDay for the 22nd time, trailing only Ohio State’s 26 appearances. Saban coached the Crimson Tide for 17 seasons, and Saturday’s broadcast will put him back on campus just hours before his former team meets Georgia.
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