Nick Saban may be retired from coaching, but let’s not pretend for a second that he’s lost any of his edge, or his influence. The man who once ruled Saturdays from the Alabama sideline is now quietly asserting dominance in a different arena: the ESPN College GameDay snack table.
No, seriously.
During the most recent ESPN College GameDay podcast, host Rece Davis shared a story that proves Saban isn’t just part of the team, he already has their unquestioned respect. The crew was in Green Bay last week for NFL Draft coverage, and as always, there was a snack spread laid out backstage. For the first time ever, the table featured Little Debbie oatmeal creme pies—something Saban is known to love.
“I walk in and there is one singular, last one left,” Davis recalled. “I know Nick Saban is famous for eating those, but I’ve been pulling off at gas stations for 40 years picking those things up.”
That’s when Rece Davis had a moment of internal conflict.
“I thought, ‘Ah but if he wants this, I’ll leave it.’ I think I didn’t get anything,” Davis admitted.
So he left it. The last Little Debbie oatmeal creme pie. Just sitting there. Waiting.
Later, Saban walked in and grabbed the last pie. Davis told Saban afterward that he’d purposely left it there for him. Saban’s response? Classic.
“I saw yesterday there was only one left, and I wondered if somebody would take it from me,” he said.
It’s hilarious, sure—but it’s also perfectly on brand. Even in retirement, Nick Saban’s presence is so commanding that people are subconsciously (or very consciously) deferring to him over snack cakes. He’s not yelling. He’s not demanding. But he doesn’t have to. As ESPN insider Pete Thamel put it, “We all know our roles. You don’t want to be the one who eats the last Little Debbie and gets thrown off the ship.”
Saban hasn’t coached a game in over a year, yet the people around him are still treating him like he’s holding a headset and calling the shots. And in many ways, he still is.
Saban joined the College GameDay crew after retiring in early 2024, and his presence has already added a new layer of credibility to the show. Saban's knowledge of the game is something that everyone enjoys hearing and it's clear he's going to continue to command respect from everyone, whether that's at the College GameDay panel desk, or at the snack bar.