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Head coach Clark Lea and the Vanderbilt Commodores are in the spotlight as they host the Missouri Tigers in a battle of Top 25 teams. Ahead of the matchup, Alabama Crimson Tide coaching legend Nick Saban put Vandy on notice. Saban was part of the “Colledge GameDay” on campus along with Pat McAfee and others. In one segment, they discussed college coaching jobs available and mentioned Lane Kiffin, James Franklin, and Jon Gruden as strong candidates for the Florida job. Read more: Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz Tabbed as ‘Great’ for Penn State Coaching Job “I don’t want to make anybody mad here, but they better do something to keep Clark Lea here, because he’s gonna go someplace,” Saban said during the segment. That seemed to turn the crowd against the college football legend momentarily, with McAfee joking, “Jeez, they were just chanting your name.” Lea began coaching Vanderbilt in 2021 and has guided them to a 6-1 record heading into Saturday’s matchup. Before that, the team had multiple seasons with losing records, finishing no better than seventh in the conference. TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA – SEPTEMBER 7: former University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban is honored with a ceremony dedicating the field in his name during the halftime break between the Alabama Crimson Tide and South Florida Bulls at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 7, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images) While Saban riled up the home team’s fans on campus with his Lea remarks, he previously had some strong words about the program itself that McAfee referenced. During one segment, Pat McAfee mentioned that games against Vanderbilt used to be considered “low-profile games” and that Saban may have said it was an “easy place to play” a few times when coaching against them. However, Saban flipped the script with his response. “Let me say this, Coach Saban is jumping on the Vanderbilt bandwagon!” he announced to the crowd before McAfee gave him a fist bump. That resulted in the “Saban” chants from the campus crowd and seemed to have him in the fans’ good graces before his later hot take about Vandy’s Lea. “I’M JUMPING ON THE VANDERBILT BANDWAGON” ~ Coach Saban 🗣️🗣️SABAN SABAN SABAN#CollegeGameDay https://t.co/LQmQTuMaX6 pic.twitter.com/pzIiDM0bgw— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 25, 2025 Read more: Ohio State Star Jeremiah Smith Makes History With NIL Deal Last month, speculation surfaced on On3 about Lea as a potential candidate to take over the head coaching position at Virginia Tech. Reports, including The Independent Florida Alligator, mention him as a consideration for the Florida Gators’ next head coach. However, Lea seems focused on the more critical tasks facing him with the Commodores team, which he’s turned around. After all those subpar seasons, Lea’s 6-1 Vanderbilt squad, led by Heisman hopeful Diego Pavia, seems to be on pace for the College Football Playoff. However, Saturday’s matchup will provide a solid test as they battle Eli Drinkwitz’s Missouri Tigers. Drinkwitz’s name has also surfaced in significant rumors about open college coaching jobs, including Florida and Penn State. Read more: Notre Dame Gets Major Prospect to Commit for Marcus Freeman For more about college football, visit Newsweek Sports.
