Why is it that 75% of the time gameday is in Tuscaloosa the guest speaker either has no connection in the least to the University or is a huge supporter of whatever team we are playing???????????? It is never that way when gameday is at other colleges. I just don't get it. If I was the AD I would tell ESPN to go pound sand unless they were using a genuine supporter/ex player of the University of Alabama.
The problem is that Alabama doesn’t really have the big celebrity who pulls for us, and we have done it so many times that bringing Joe out there doesn’t really make for much entertainment especially when Vandy is the opponent.
FWIW I can only remember like 3 times in which we hosted it and it wasn’t an Alabama affiliated person.
1) 2011 LSU where Brian Wilson.
2) Marcus Lutrell- I mean Saban had him down there to speak to the team and it’s kinda hard to pass on him if he is there
3) Nate Bargatz- probably the biggest comedian in the south at the time.
But my point is, we can all save “James spann” or “sela ward” but none of those move the needle. Many of our former players have just passed on the opportunity according to many sources and it kinda leaves ESPN with a hard time trying to find someone.
Theo Vann I wished they just passed on, because 1) he has done it before and 2) he is annoying. But again this Gameday coming to Tuscaloosa is far more about Vandy than it’s about Alabama so they desperately want atleast one guy on the panel picking Vandy and hyping them up.