Nick Saban is getting comfortable in his post-coaching days.
During ESPN’s airing of “College GameDay” in South Bend, Indiana on Friday Saban caught the eyes of many wearing some conspicuous attire while commentating on the panel.
Amidst freezing temperatures, Saban donned an abnormally large fedora that immediately caught the attention of fellow panelists Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, and Rece Davis.
“This is Indiana Jones!” McAfee shouted at the top of the show as Saban and the rest of the panel laughed.
In the day since, the hat has sparked a rush of jokes and amusing comparisons from fans on the internet, too.
“Why is Nick Saban dressed like a murder mystery character?” one fan said in a post on X.
“Nick Saban looks ready to recover an ancient artifact and tell some bad guys it belongs in a museum,” another fan said.
“Nick Saban looks like he’s about to warn the townspeople about the recent arrival of a certain Count Dracula from the Carpathian Mountains,” a third fan said.
“Nick Saban looking like he’s on search for clues,” said a fourth.
McAfee had addressed the crowd and requested they respond to whether or not they thought Saban should have made the decision to go with the bold fashion choice. Fans responded with enthusiastic cheer.
Saban and co. were situated outside of Notre Dame Stadium in preparation for what was deemed as arguably the most important home game in the history of the prestigious 137-year-old football program.
The No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish were about to kickoff against their in-state rivals, the No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers, for the first game of the brand-new 12-team College Football Playoff format.
The Fighting Irish prevailed in a 27-17 victory over the Hoosiers to secure their 11th consecutive victory and tie the program record for wins in a season. It was a career-highlight moment for head coach Marcus Freeman.
“There’s not many times in your life that you’re the first to do something, right?” Freeman said. “We’re the first group to play and win a playoff game at Notre Dame Stadium, so that’s something we’ll share for the rest of our lives.”
Starting quarterback Riley Leonard was integral to the victory, throwing for only 201 yards, but scoring both a passing and rushing touchdown.
“It’s really cool, but at the same time it’s another football game,” said Leonard, who ran for one record-breaking score and threw for another. “We’re just trying to stay alive and play as many games as we can because we love the game, love preparing for it and we love representing this university.’
Notre Dame, 12-1, advances in the tournament to face SEC champion No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
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