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During his famous coaching career, Nik Saban he rarely shied away from an opportunity to share his thoughts on hot college football topics.
Saban and the rest of ESPN’s “College GameDay” crew were in Indiana ahead of the opening of the 12-team College Football Playoff between Our Lady and Hoosiers. While the high-stakes game was a major topic during the pregame show, Ohio State offensive line coach Ryan Day was also discussed.
Saban came to Day’s defense and directed his anger at Buckeyes fanssuggesting that they bear at least some of the blame for the cloud of negativity that hangs over the program.
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Nick Saban sits on the set of ESPN’s “College GameDay” before the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa., on Nov. 2, 2024. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Saban said the noise surrounding the program is distracting to the coaches and players and also made it clear that he respects Dan and his program.
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“I think every coach has to define how they want to do it, and I have a lot of respect for Ryan Day and how he tried to do it,” Saban said. “For me, I always wanted to get every player in the organization to reach their full potential. It wasn’t so much about the outcome, it was about what you have to do to make everyone better.
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban before the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
“But a big part of it was isolating players from outside factors — criticism, the Internet. I used to say to players all the time, ‘Why do you care what some guy puts on the Internet who’s a fat guy in his underwear who lives in his mother’s basement? Why? does that mean anything to you?
“It’s the same thing for the fans. I would say the same thing to the fans. If Ohio State wants to beat Michigan, they have to be positive about their coach and their players. There’s nobody who wants to beat them more than the players and the coaches. That’s No. 1. No. 2 , they have a chance to win a national championship, everyone should be rooting for them to have the best chance to do it and stop all this negative bulls—.”
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day before the game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium. (Joseph Maiorana/USA Today Sports)
While Day compiled a 66-10 record at Ohio State, his Buckeyes lost four straight Michigan Wolverines.
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Day’s poor performance against Michigan drew criticism and raised concerns about the coach’s job security. The focus of the day is on the upcoming Buckeyes game against Tennessee in the college football playoffs. The Buckeyes host the Volunteers on Saturday.
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