Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what's next.
Alabama guard issues perfect response to Nick Saban
Despite coaching Alabama for the last 17 years, Nick Saban isn’t picking the Crimson Tide to make this year’s SEC Championship Game. Now an analyst for ESPN, Saban predicted last week that Georgia and Texas will be the two teams facing off for a conference title in Atlanta in December.
Saban’s former players at SEC Media Days said they were unbothered by their former coach’s snub. But Alabama guard Tyler Booker used it as an opportunity to take a humorous jab at his former coach, delivering one of the most memorable quotes of SEC Media Days in the process.
“Something he taught me was not to pay attention to external factors, and since he works at the stadium now and not the facility, he's an external factor, so I'm not really paying attention to him,” Booker said with a laugh. "He said, 'Don't listen to a guy who sits in his mother's basement and tweets all day, so I'm not going to listen to a guy who plays golf all day.”
Alabama OL Tyler Booker asked about his thoughts on Nick Saban picking Georgia and Texas to be in the SEC championship:
— Rosie Langello (@RosieLangello) July 17, 2024
Well something Coach Saban taught us whenever we speak to the media is to not concern ourselves with external factors and he doesnt work in the facility pic.twitter.com/fOw2ftWQAm
In case there was any doubt, Booker clarified in a later interview that his response to Saban was intended as a joke and that he still has a great relationship with his former coach.
Nothing but love and respect for the GOAT https://t.co/JAZhWHxQ0P
— Tyler Booker (@iamtylerbooker) July 17, 2024
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe responded to Saban’s prediction by saying “all we want to do is focus on us and worry about us.” Alabama safety Malachi Moore acknowledged, however, that he and his teammates had taken notice of the prediction from Saban, who was initially denied entry into SEC Media Days after forgetting his media credential.
“It's so quick to see Coach Saban take on another role other than being Coach Saban,” Moore said, “but he has a job to do, and he's entitled to his own opinion. But yeah, we heard him.”
Despite his SEC title game prediction, Alabama will honor Saban this fall by naming the playing surface at Bryant-Denny Stadium as Saban Field, Alabama announced Friday.
Kiffin to Finebaum: “I don‘t know what you‘re good at”
Lane Kiffin still considers Paul Finebaum to be partially responsible for his firing from USC 11 years ago, so it’s no surprise that the often-outspoken Ole Miss coach had some things to say to Finebaum while appearing on the ESPN radio host’s show at SEC Media Days on Monday.
On the morning before USC’s 2013 loss to Arizona State that ultimately resulted in Kiffin being left on the tarmac, Finebaum called Kiffin “the Miley Cyrus of college football coaching” on College GameDay, a comment that Kiffin said resonated with then-USC president C.L. Max Nikias and athletic director Pat Haden.
Now, Kiffin says he is grateful to Finebaum for “helping getting me fired,” as his firing from USC led to his opportunity to spend three years working for Saban at Alabama before becoming the head coach at Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. But Kiffin still used his appearance on Finebaum’s show to take a shot at the opinionated analyst.
“Really, I don’t know what you’re good at,” Kiffin said to Finebaum. “You predicted Coach Saban was done, that didn’t happen. You basically said Miley Cyrus stinks and she’s still going.”
"Really, I don't know what you're good at. You predicted Coach Saban was done that didn't happen. You basically said Miley Cyrus stinks, and she's still going."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 18, 2024
- Lane Kiffin with a little ribbing of Paul Finebaum.
(H/T @JustOKsport) pic.twitter.com/2QVF62dUk6
“It’s always great to be ridiculed by Lane Kiffin here at SEC Media Days,” Finebaum replied with a laugh.
Utah State officially fires Blake Anderson
Sixteen days after announcing that it had placed head coach Blake Anderson on administrative leave with intent to terminate his contract, Utah State officially fired its football coach on Thursday.
Utah State said in a statement that it fired Anderson for “significant violations of his contract obligations.” Per ESPN, an investigation commissioned by the university found that Anderson attempted to personally investigate a player’s domestic violence arrest by asking the player’s girlfriend and roommate to provide written statements about the altercation that led to the player’s arrest.
Anderson is disputing the allegation that he violated university policies. His attorney, Tom Mars, told ESPN that the player’s girlfriend and roommate provided statements to Anderson without the coach asking for them.
Excerpts from Coach Blake Andersons 70-page response to USUs termination letter.
— Tom Mars (@TomMarsLaw) July 19, 2024
Full response to follow with
attached exhibits, which include USUs termination letter, investigation summary, court records, and witness statements. https://t.co/tJJMElgxnV pic.twitter.com/HrdVVGFFOF
Nate Dreiling, who joined Utah State’s staff as defensive coordinator earlier this year, will serve as interim head coach this season following Anderson’s midsummer firing. He’ll be hoping to lead the Aggies to their first winning season in three years after back-to-back 6-7 campaigns.
ICYMI
2024 Ohio State Football Team Draft: Picking Head-to-Head Lineups for A Matchup of Buckeyes vs. Buckeyes
Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope and Andy Anders went head-to-head to draft 22-man rosters from this year’s Ohio State football team for a hypothetical game of Buckeyes vs. Buckeyes. Check out their draft selections and vote for whose team would win.
Eleven Warriors Review: EA Sports College Football 25 Delivers the Authentic College Football Simulator Fans Have Wanted for More Than a Decade
Haven’t had a chance to play the new college football video game yet? Check out Garrick Hodge’s article (and video) highlighting what it’s like to play with the Buckeyes in EA Sports College Football 25.
Ohio State Players Seeing “Championship or Bust” Urgency, “Incredible” Leadership in Summer Workouts
The Buckeyes’ confidence entering the 2024 season continues to build during summer workouts, with C.J. Hicks saying “the team now is more together than it has ever been.”
What’s Next
- Tuesday-Thursday: Big Ten Media Days
- 11 Days (Aug. 1): Ohio State’s first day of preseason camp
- 41 Days (Aug. 31): Ohio State’s season opener vs. Akron
- 132 Days (Nov. 30): The Game
