Nick Saban Singing Along To Darius Rucker Is Our New Favorite Thing

Not even Nick Saban can resist Darius Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel.”  

The Alabama legend delighted College GameDay fans by singing along to the beloved anthem during a live, pre-game performance by the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday. Cameras panned to Saban and Pat McAfee as they swayed back and forth behind their shared desk. 

Saban, who has been showing off a lot more of his personality since retiring as Alabama’s head football coach, explained how he became so familiar with the lyrics to the country hit.

“I’ll tell you what, I want Darius Rucker to know that every Saturday night we had a karaoke party at our house in recruiting, and the No. 1 requested song was ‘Wagon Wheel,'” he said, eliciting laughter from his co-hosts.

It’s only a matter of time before he shows us those dance moves he’s so famous for.

After nearly two decades in Tuscaloosa, Saban announced that he was retiring as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide back in January. The 72 year old led the football program to six national championship wins and 11 Southeastern Conference championships over the course of 17 seasons. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history.

Saban, who has made many guest appearances on College GameDay through the years, announced that he was joining the show as an analyst in February. 

“ESPN and College GameDay have played such an important role in the growth of college football, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to join their team,” he said in a statement. “I’ll do my best to offer additional insights and perspectives to contribute to College GameDay, the ultimate Saturday tradition for college football fans.”

We look forward to more musical contributions too, coach!