Nick Saban reacts on 'College GameDay' to Alabama's Saban Field dedication, receives messages from NFL alumni
One of college football's greatest coaches will see his legacy continue Saturday night.
As Alabama football primes to take on USF on Saturday, it will also commemorate Nick Saban with the dedication of its field to the already-legendary coach, making the full stadium name "Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium."
"College GameDay" took a moment to pay tribute to its newest panelist during the show in Ann Arbor Saturday, calling out Saban's prodigious coaching career in Tuscaloosa. Saban, in true Saban fashion, was humble in talking about the dedication.
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“I hope this is reflective of the legacy of all the players, all the coaches that coached, the fans, the supporters that we had to make this a unique and successful program for a long time," he said.
"GameDay" then aired tributes sent in from some of Saban's top former players, including the Ravens' Derrick Henry, Patriots assistant coach Dont'a Hightower, "Big Noon Kickoff's" Mark Ingram, and Barrett Jones. Saban then snuck in a teensy bit of a recruiting pitch after listening to his former players: "Lots of great players," he said. "Lots of great players. I’m proud of the fact we have 61 players in the NFL.”
Later in the show, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian — a former Saban assistant — congratulated Saban from the field of the Big House after taking an interview.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Nick Saban reacts on 'College GameDay' to Alabama's Saban Field dedication