Nick Saban might be retired from coaching, but the winning hasn’t stopped. The legendary former Alabama head coach just added another trophy to his collection — this time, an Emmy. On Tuesday night, Saban was awarded the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Emerging On-Air Talent, recognizing his smooth and impactful debut season as part of ESPN’s College GameDay crew.
After wrapping up a storied coaching career with seven national titles, Saban joined ESPN in 2024 and hit the ground running. He quickly became a staple on GameDay, sharing the set with familiar faces like Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Lee Corso, and Pat McAfee. On top of that, he covered both the 2024 and 2025 NFL Drafts and took part in SEC Media Days — showing he’s not just a guest presence but a true media pro.
Saban’s co-stars have raved about how naturally he took to TV, and now the Emmy backs it up. Even before the award was announced, Saban was quick to credit his team at ESPN for helping him adjust to this new role. Speaking from his Nick’s Kids Foundation Golf Tournament, he said, “A lot of people helped contribute to learning how to do it… We’ve got a really good team of people with lots of experience that helped me fit into the program.”
Rece Davis was among the first to congratulate him publicly, calling Saban “a brilliant communicator no matter what the setting” — whether it’s a locker room, boardroom, or the GameDay set.
The Emmy caps off an impressive first year in broadcasting for Saban, who was also named Awful Announcing’s Best Addition in Sports Media for 2024. It’s clear that while his coaching days may be behind him, Nick Saban is far from finished making an impact.
Legendary Coach, Now Emmy Winner — Nick Saban Shines on ESPN
