Nick Saban Accuses Iconic College Football Stadium Of Pumping In Crowd Noise

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Nick Saban Accuses Iconic College Football Stadium Of Pumping In Crowd Noise

Legendary college football coach Nick Saban has been inside basically every big-time college football stadium in the country.

From his coaching career at Michigan State, LSU and Alabama, to his time with ESPN's "College GameDay," Saban has visited nearly every major stadium in America. Some are louder than others, obviously. But according to the iconic college football coach, one legendary stadium actually pumps in fake crowd noise.

Saban, who retired following the 2023 college football season – which ended with a loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals – made the accusation ahead of the first round this weekend.

Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; ESPN College Gameday analyst Nick Saban before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Saban, who coached in the SEC for two decades, believes that a rival of Alabama's pumps in crowd noise. He believes that Texas A&M's Kyle Field artificially elevates its crowd noise level during games.

“I did more complaining to the SEC office—it was more than complaining that I don’t really want to say on this show—about this is the noisiest place. Plus, they pipe in noise… You can’t hear yourself think when you’re playing out there," he told Pat McAfee on Thursday afternoon.

Is pumping in crowd noise against the rules?

It's not.

According to the NCAA's rule book, you are allowed to pump in crowd noise at games, though it has to be consistent.

"Artificial crowd noise, by conference policy or mutual consent of the institutions, is allowed. The noise level must be consistent throughout the game for both teams. However, all current rules remain in effect dealing with bands, music and other sounds. When the snap is imminent, the band/music must stop playing. As with all administrative rules, the referee may stop the game and direct game management to adjust," the NCAA's rulebook states clearly.

Texas A&M and Miami will kick off at 12 p.m. E.T. from Kyle Field on Saturday.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Dec 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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