‘College GameDay’ producer ‘intimidated’ when Nick Saban joined show

Nick Saban was an imposing figure as a college football coach, a strategist and perfectionist accepting no excuses from his players and assistants.

That reputation preceded him when he joined ESPN last year as a studio analyst on the award-winning College GameDay.

While everyone expected Saban to excel in his new role, Jim Gaiero, CGD lead producer for nine years, had some apprehension about working with him. Gaiero told The Athletic he was “definitely intimidated” when Saban joined the show.

“Just because he’s Nick Saban,” Gaiero said. “I didn’t really know him that well. I thought he would be that same coach who’s yelling at Lane Kiffin and demanding perfection in everything we do. I was definitely intimidated. Now he busts my chops more than any human being. I am his punching bag, and it’s fun. He’s very funny and a ball-buster.”

Everyone sees Saban’s fun side now, in full view not just on GameDay but in humorous commercials for Vrbo and Home Depot. But Gaiero told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch that Saban is all business when it comes to learning the broadcasting business.

“He was always good on TV, and when the camera’s on, he’s on,” Gaiero said. “So it was about learning things like, how do you introduce a point that leads to an XO tape, or where you direct yourself during a conversation.

“I remember early in the season I was talking to him, and I said, ‘If you are going to go to Dez (Desmond Howard) next, make sure you’re looking at Dez.’ He’s like, ‘Well, why didn’t you tell me this before?!’ I was like, ‘Well, I didn’t want to give you everything at once.’ We’ve added stuff each week, and he’s grown so much since the beginning of the season.”

Saban has earned kudos from everyone for his work with ESPN, and not just because he’s been a natural at learning how to do live TV. Saban won seven national championships; he knows football. The gravitas he brought that once intimidated Gaiero makes people pay attention to everything he says.

“The thing is, whenever he makes a comment, everybody listens,” Gaiero said. “He doesn’t have throwaway comments. There are some analysts who tend to repeat what their co-analysts just said. It’s almost like an echo. But when he speaks, it’s a unique perspective that nobody else has ever had.”