During his historic coaching career, Nick Saban He rarely missed the opportunity to share his thoughts on hot-button topics centered around college football.
Saban and the rest of ESPN’s “College GameDay” crew were in Indiana before the first game of the 12-team College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and the Hoosiers. While high-stakes play was the main topic during the pregame show, embattled Ohio State coach Ryan Day was also discussed.
Saban came to Day’s defense and directed his ire at Buckeyes fans, suggesting they bear at least some of the blame for the cloud of negativity surrounding the program.
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Nick Saban sits in on ESPN’s “College GameDay” before a game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 2, 2024. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Saban said the noise surrounding the program is a distraction for coaches and players and also made it clear that he respects Day and his program.
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“I think every coach has to define how he wants to do it, and I have a lot of respect for Ryan Day and how he’s tried to do it,” Saban said. “For me, I always wanted every player in the organization to reach their full potential. It wasn’t so much about the result, but what needed to be done for everyone to improve.
Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide before the College Football Playoff national championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
“But a big part of that was isolating players from outside factors: criticism, the Internet. I used to tell players all the time, ‘Why do you care what a guy puts on the Internet who’s a fat guy?’ in underwear who lives?’ in his mother’s basement? Why do you care? Why does that mean anything to you? Why should we focus on what we control and what we can do?
“It’s the same for the fans. I would tell the fans the same thing. If Ohio State wants to beat Michigan, they have to be positive with their coach and their players. There’s no one who wants to beat them worse than the players and the coaches. That is number 1. Number 2, they have a chance to win the national championship. Everyone should support them a lot so that they have the best opportunity to do it and leave all this negative bulls -.”
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day before a game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium. (Joseph Maiorana/USA Today Sports)
While Day has compiled a 66-10 record at Ohio State, his Buckeyes have lost four in a row to the Michigan Wolverines.
Day’s disappointing results against Michigan have drawn criticism and raised concerns about the coach’s job security. The focus of the day is on the Buckeyes’ upcoming game against Tennessee in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes host the Volunteers on Saturday.
