Tennessee fans made their feelings known early Saturday morning in Knoxville, turning the opening moments of ESPN’s College GameDay into a loud shot at Nick Saban.
As the show began at Ayers Hall, the crowd quickly broke into a “F*** Nick Saban” chant while the former Alabama coach was seated at the desk as one of the hosts. The chant carried clearly through ESPN’s crowd microphones, even though no video clip was later posted to social media.
That wasn’t the only moment involving Saban and the Tennessee crowd. Before GameDay officially went on air, fans in the pit started singing “Rocky Top,” and Pat McAfee captured Saban joining in on the Vols’ signature song.
Saban also spent part of Friday’s Pat McAfee Show weighing in on the matchup between Tennessee’s offense and Texas’ defense. He pointed to Tennessee’s run game and the way Josh Heupel’s spread attack creates problems for defenses trying to disguise what they’re doing.
“The one thing that Tennessee does and they’ve had tremendous amounts of success is - everybody talks about the young quarterback, but they haven’t put a lot of the guy. They have run the ball so effectively,” Saban said.
“And this spread offense that they run, where you’re so spread out, it’s really hard to disguise what you’re doing on defense. Heupel is a master of taking advantage of whatever he sees out there.
This go fast and go slow again (offense); it’s not always go fast, and he wants to see what you’re in and get in the best play. So that’s going to be a challenge.
I know Will (Muschamp) is doing a great job on defense for Texas, but they’re going to have to stop the run and make this freshman quarterback make the plays in the game to win the game.”
Saban went 2-1 against Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers, winning matchups in 2021 and 2023 and losing in 2022. He retired after the 2023 season and is now part of ESPN’s GameDay crew.
In Other News...
Tennessee Texas Finish Just Got An Official Officiating Twist
The Southeastern Conference added an officiating wrinkle to Tennessees loss to Texas, saying the Volunteers drop-kick onside attempt was handled incorrectly. The league said the kick should have drawn a five-yard penalty and a replay of the down because it was taken from behind the required 35-yard line, a violation of free-kick rules.
Even so, the correction does not change the result of Texas 20-17 win over Tennessee. For the Volunteers, it leaves one more frustrating detail attached to a game already decided by a narrow margin, even if the official ruling stops short of altering the final scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Secondary Just Took Another Brutal Hit Before Auburn
Tennessees secondary is dealing with another setback heading into Auburn, with sophomore defensive back Dylan Lewis expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season because of a foot injury he suffered against Kennesaw State. Lewis had already been listed as out in SEC availability reports before the Texas game, and he was later seen in a walking boot, a clear sign the injury was serious enough to keep him sidelined for an extended stretch.
For a defense already managing other season-ending injuries in the back end, losing Lewis only tightens the margin for error. The Vols have had to keep adjusting their depth and rotations in the secondary, and now they head into the Auburn matchup with another important piece unavailable, leaving the coaching staff to sort out how to patch together a group that has been hit hard. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fans Are Stuck On One Faizon Brandon Debate
Tennessees loss to Texas left plenty of fingerprints on the offense, but the loudest postgame debate has centered on Faizon Brandon and how much of the struggle was really on the quarterback. Brandon finished 17 of 29 for 145 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, yet the bigger number was the sacks, with Tennessees protection breaking down often enough to make the whole night feel hurried and uneven.
Film analyst Brooks Austin pushed back on the idea that Brandon alone was responsible, pointing to a shaky run game and the lines problems up front as part of the picture. Josh Heupel sounded similarly measured, saying Brandon may have been sped up and stressing that the answer has to come from more than one player. For Tennessee, the uncomfortable part is that the debate is still open, and the film may only deepen it. [Read more 🡒]