CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins gives insight into Alabama football fandom

When Alabama fans turn on CNN at 8 p.m. CT, they see one of their own at the desk when Kaitlan Collins anchors “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” every night. But on social media, Collins wears her Crimson and White with pride.

Her X/Twitter profile usually features some sort of Alabama take, and she takes great pride in her alma mater. When it comes to game days, though, Collins takes things to a whole new level.

She also learned people in Washington, D.C. have other plans on fall Saturdays.

CNN’s @kaitlancollins has zero chill when it comes to #AlabamaFootball. pic.twitter.com/CKZgQMmQ6C

— Late Night with Seth Meyers (@LateNightSeth) November 1, 2023

“When I moved to Washington, D.C. — I moved there a month after I graduated from Alabama,” Collins told Seth Meyers on Late Night. “On Saturdays, people in Washington would be like, ‘Let’s go to brunch, let’s go do this.’ I was like, ‘It’s Saturday. We’re not going anywhere that’s not within, like, 30 feet of a television and it’s got to be, like, 30 inches at least. And they’ve got to turn the sound on.'”

Collins also discussed what she’s like when she goes to games in-person. She gets plenty of offers from people to accompany her to Bryant Denny Stadium, but she warns them they won’t hear from her during the game.

“Everyone is always like, ‘I want to go to the game with you.’ Like, all my friends who have never been to the South, they’re like, ‘I would love to come,'” Collins said. “I’m like, ‘Sure you can come hang out with me before the game, after if we win. During the game, like, I’m not talking. I’m like sitting there. I’m serious.'”

While she noted the Crimson Tide haven’t had their “best season” — she pointed out she had “the backing of 100,000 people in Bryant Denny Stadium” — Collins confirmed she’ll be back in Tuscaloosa for the first time this season for Saturday’s game between Alabama and LSU.

Normally, Collins tries to make a few trips to T-Town to watch the Crimson Tide. This year’s a bit different, though, since she hasn’t been back yet. She also pointed out the loss to Texas as part of Alabama’s rough start to the year.

“I’ll tell you, I’m going to the game this weekend,” Collins said.” I’m going to Tuscaloosa on Saturday. It’s my first game that I’ve been to this season. Typically, I try to do two or three. Hopefully, it goes well.

“But I mean, it has been a brutal season. We lost to Texas.”

The Crimson Tide got some love from the College Football Playoff selection committee on Tuesday, though. Alabama came in at No. 8 in the first top 25 rankings and takes a 7-1 record into Saturday’s game against LSU.

It took Nick Saban’s group a little time to get going this year, but the Tide appear to be firing on all cylinders en route to six straight wins. Two of them came by one score, which certainly made Collins and other fans sweat a bit.