Nick Saban's daughter Kristen drops 4-word message after former Alabama HC refuses to unveil his secret hat

Nick Saban joined the panel of the ESPN College GameDay show this season. After announcing his retirement in January, the former Alabama coach has shifted his focus to the world of broadcasting as an analyst.

Comedian Shane Gillis joined the crew as the guest picker during the Notre Dame vs. Indiana first round of the College Football Playoff. During his segment, Gillis made several comments about Saban, NIL and Alabama, which did not impress the former coach.

Nick Saban then appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" on December 27. McAfee asked him if he received any good Christmas gifts. Saban replied by stating that he got a new hat, taking a subtle jab at Shane Gillis' Indiana Jones remark, but was unwilling to reveal more about it.

"Yeah, I got a new hat, which, I'm not willing to unveil. It's going to be a big secret," Saban said.

This led to his daughter Kristen Saban taking to social media to share her reaction to her dad's decision.

"The hat lives on," Kristen Saban wrote in the caption of her IG story.

Coach Saban on Pat McAfee show (credits: Kristen Saban's Instagram)

Nick Saban then also gave a rebuttal to Shane Gillis' jokes about Alabama's recruitment. It stated that the program is successful and valuable enough to be recognized as a place of growth for recruits.

"We were trying to create value for players, and I think that's why we were able to recruit good players, whether it was how many degrees they got, how many guys went in the NFL, how many guys had careers that were very productive for them and that's why we got good players. So that speaks for itself and that's all there is to it."

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Nick Saban's daughter Kristen has been the saving grace for Shane Gillis

While talking with Pat McAfee, Nick Saban also admitted that his daughter Kristen is a big fan of Shane Gillis. This is another reason why he is not enraged with the comments he made during the Notre Dame vs. Indiana CFP GameDay show.

"He was trying to be funny, and I get it," Saban said. "And you know, my daughter Kristen loves him. So that kind of soothes the soul a little bit that somebody in our family likes the guy." (TS- 0:49)

Nick Saban was replaced by Kalen DeBoer as the coach of Alabama this season. And in his debut campaign, DeBoer failed to help the Crimson Tide win the SEC title and qualify for the 12-team playoffs. They will take on the Michigan Wolverines in the ReliaQuest Bowl.