Danny Kanell calls out Nick Saban for cursing during ESPN College GameDay

Since joining ESPN’s College GameDay this year, Nick Saban showcased a new side of himself. The normally stoic Alabama head coach started laughing and joking more – and he’s gone viral a few times for his free language.

That was again the case on Friday. It didn’t sit well with CBS Sports’ Danny Kanell, though, and he appeared to call Saban out for cursing on TV.

During Friday’s special episode of College GameDay ahead of Notre Dame vs. Indiana, Saban shared some laughs with IU coach Curt Cignetti. They joked about Cignetti’s ability to “talk shit,” and Kanell shared his thoughts on the expletive-filled exchange.

I miss when people didn’t curse on TV

— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) December 20, 2024

Curt Cignetti and Nick Saban have a long-standing relationship. They worked together early in Saban’s tenure at Alabama, and their bond goes back to the early days of the GOAT’s coaching career when he worked for Cignetti’s dad, Frank.

The discussion took an NSFW turn when Cignetti talked about the conversation around Indiana’s strength of schedule. He pointed out the ranked opponents the Hoosiers faced – and how those games ended.

“I mean look: There’s a lot of skeptics, there’s a lot of doubters,” Cignetti said. “I get it. ‘Haven’t beat a Top 25 team.’ Nebraska’s 25th in the Coaches Poll and beat their ass 56-7. And I’ve ‘never beat a Top 25 team.’ Well, you know, Coastal Carolina, back when we were at old James Madison, we went up to the Sun Belt and they were 22nd, end of the year we beat them 47-7. We don’t just beat Top 25 teams, we beat the shit out of them.”

After that response drew plenty of noise from the pro-Notre Dame crowd behind them, the interview continued and Cignetti spoke about the influence Saban had on him. The GOAT then pointed out something he didn’t teach his former assistant.

“Well I appreciate it,” Saban said on the desk. “One thing you didn’t learn from me is talking all the shit you talk.”

That exchange came after Nick Saban went on a trademark rant earlier in the show. He spoke about Ohio State’s situation with Ryan Day and the increasing pressure despite his 66-10 record. That includes four straight losses to Michigan, however.

Saban had a strong message to Day. He called on the players to focus on the fact the Buckeyes are competing for a championship and to avoid the background noise – though he used a different term.

“I used to tell the players all the time: Why do you care about what some guy puts on the internet who’s a fat guy, in his underwear, living his mother’s basement? Why do you care? Why does that mean anything to you? Why does that affect you in any way, shape or form? We should be focused on what we control and what we can do,” Saban said, before starting to turn his message back to the Buckeyes.

“And it’s the same thing for the fans. I would tell the fans the same thing. If Ohio State wants to beat Michigan, they need to be positive about their coach and the players. There’s nobody wants to beat ’em worse than the players and the coaches. That’s No. 1. No. 2: They have an opportunity to win the national championship. Everybody ought to be supporting the hell out of them so that they have the best opportunity to do it, and quit all this negative bullshit.”

Andrew Graham contributed to this report.