We’ve got to see an entirely different Nick Saban since his retirement from Alabama. The broadcasting version of him is more relaxed and cooler. Some credit for that change in perception can also be attributed to his yin-and-yang equation with Pat McAfee. The former Tide head coach opened up on why that relationship works.

“He’s a great personality,” Saban said while appearing on the Rick Burgess show. “I love Pat. He and I have a great relationship. We’re different in a lot of ways, which probably makes the show better. What people don’t understand about GameDay is there are 7,000 students, and then, there are three million people watching on TV.”

“Where my focus is on the TV crowd, he does a great job of entertaining those 7,000 kids. And he does a great job on TV, too. So, he’s a very knowledgeable guy. He spends a lot of time studying, and I enjoy working with him.”

The relationship between Saban and McAfee proves that opposites truly attract. While Saban’s personality is defined by his formal, disciplined stance, McAfee brings the spice with a random, chaotic approach tailored for the show’s younger audience. The pair gave a real-life display of their contrasting personalities in a viral video that showed the 39-year-old McAfee dancing while Saban gave him a side-eye. It eventually became a topic of discussion for the pair on The Pat McAfee Show.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard. You and me, we’re on the internet. I was dancing, you were thinking, I believe. You side-eyed the s–t out of me. Here it is, right here. You give me a nice side-eye. Look at it,” said McAfee.

Just before the 74-year-old went on his laudation of McAfee, the host, Rick Burgess, had spoken of McAfee as the “most high-profile kicker I’ve ever seen with that much personality.” Burgees is not alone on this hill, as there is no gainsaying that McAfee is the most popular punter of all time, evolving from the shadows of a special teams player to one of the top media personalities in football.

One thing Saban has also admitted, despite their different personalities, is how McAfee’s high-spirited personality has eased his adaptation to his new media role. Having to deal with someone as rigid as himself would have made life more difficult for Saban. But so far, McAfee has been a match made in heaven for him.

“You know, I’m very much the rookie learning the ropes,” said Saban. “Not in terms of having information that you want to put out there. But when to say it, how to say it, how to respect the people around you, how to have the conversation.

“You’ve made it easier for me, though. Sitting by you makes it easier for me. Because I’m less anxious because you are very aggressive in whatever we’re talking about or whatever we’re doing.”

The respect is mutual, with McAfee holding Saban in very high esteem. Despite Saban’s short time in the media, Pat McAfee has tipped Saban to surpass his coaching exploits with a greater media career. And with McAfee by his side, that may just be the result.

ESPN colleagues on Saban’s and McAfee’s relationship

The pair co-hosts the show alongside Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond Howard. Regardless, their relationship has stood out so far, perhaps because they come with the most extreme differences. Like many others, Jim Gaiero, a producer for ESPN College GameDay, gave an insider detail about their relationship.

“Pat has an innate ability to make anybody feel comfortable,” Gaiero said. “Pat’s respectful to him, but he’s not kissing his a–. And I think that’s what separates Pat from other people. If Nick Saban were on another show, I bet everybody’s gonna be kissing his bu-t. But here he’s just one of the guys, and we’re gonna bust your stones. I think Pat has this crazy ability to make people like him and like to be open around him.”

Another GameDay crew member referred to the relationship as “The most unlikely bromance of all time.” Every relationship that works requires the effort of both parties, and it is safe to say that the opposite personalities of these two are what make their relationship unique.