Nick Saban calls President Donald Trump 'a great sports fan' after news of attending Lions at Commanders game

Just one look at his weekend travel schedule and one thing is clear: U.S. President Donald Trump loves sports. Whether he’s spending the weekend golfing at one of his many courses, attending UFC events or taking in big-time college football or NFL games, the country’s 45th and 47th president is “a giant sports fan,” according to former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban.

“President Trump is a great sports fan,” Saban said Friday during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “He loves sports. He loves football, he loves all kinds of sports. And if you ever talk to him, that’s all he wants to talk about.”

Sports are the greatest.#PMSLive https://t.co/l32zHLd32J pic.twitter.com/NPwNmsAAJo

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 7, 2025

And Saban would know, given his multiple interactions with President Trump over the past year, including this past Spring when the retired coach-turned-ESPN College GameDay analyst was named as a co-chair on a now-defunct presidential commission on college sports alongside billionaire Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell. The two were reportedly part of a consortium of business and sports power brokers to attend an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home this Spring to discuss the presidential commission meant to address what is ailing collegiate sports in the day and age of NIL and the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Trump’s love of sports will be on full display Sunday when he’s in the Washington Commanders owner’s box during its Week 10 game vs. the Detroit Lions, which kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX. ESPN personality Pat McAfee broke the news of Trump’s plans to attend the game earlier Friday afternoon on his show.

“Sources are telling me that President Donald Trump will be in attendance for this Washington Commanders game in the afternoon against the Detroit Lions,” McAfee said on Friday’s The Pat McAfee Show. “He will actually be there to celebrate the Veteran’s Celebration that is taking place at halftime. He’ll be sitting in owner Josh Harris‘ box and he’ll be excited to celebrate the hell out of the greatest sport on earth, American football.”

Saban later teased McAfee for being granted the exclusive from the White House.

“I knew that he was trying to get ahold of you to make that announcement, that shows how important you are,” Saban told McAfee live on air Friday.

Trump, who is currently in the midst of his second tenure as President, has attended the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the US Open, the FIFA Club World Cup Final and the Ryder Cup in recent years, as well as multiple College Football Playoff national championship games during his first term in office.

Despite his many duties as president, Trump also likes to keep close tabs on college football, even if it’s just for the opportunity to poke fun at some of his political colleagues.

President Donald Trump mentions Alabama win over South Carolina, says ‘Roll Tide’

Two weeks ago, while on an international tour of Asia, Trump even caught some part of Alabama’s 29-22 come-from-behind win at South Carolina on Oct. 25. Dring an Oct. 28 speech aboard the USS George Washington docked at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, Trump took a moment to commend the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide’s comeback victory over the host Gamecocks while introducing Captain Tim Waits, a University of Alabama alum and the captain of the USS George Washington.

“This is a beauty and I hear your commanding officer is a big Alabama football fan. You know I love Alabama. … (To) Captain Timothy Waits, let me just say, ‘Roll Tide.’ You know, I love Alabama. Roll Tide,” Trump said during his speech. “Where’s Timothy? That was a hell of a game this week, I don’t know how the hell you pulled that one out. If you didn’t win, I wouldn’t have mentioned it. I would’ve just introduced you. But you came back from oblivion. Isn’t it nice coming back? Coming back is good.”

— On3’s Daniel Hager contributed to this report.