Nick Saban steals the show by donning Nittany Lions costume on College GameDay

Former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has been lauded for his in-depth analysis of college football on the set of ESPN's pregame show "College GameDay." Since retiring in January, Saban has taken on roles on the SEC Network and College GameDay.

Saban and the College GameDay crew traveled to Happy Valley for the pivotal Week 10 clash between the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions and the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes.

The retired coach who turned 73 on Oct. 31 was given a unique gift by the Nittany Lion mascot: a Nittany Lions costume. Saban showed his fun side by wearing it on the show's set.

Saban further led the Nittany Lions fans on a chant after the crowd sang him a rendition of Happy Birthday.

“We Are,” Nick Saban said.

“Penn State,” the crowd replied.

This version of Saban has been well-received by fans. During an episode of the "Pat McAfee Show," he attributed his free-spiritedness to his co-analyst, Pat McAfee.

"You've (Pat McAfee) made it a lot easier on me, though," Saban said. "Sitting by you makes it easier for me, because I'm less anxious because you are very aggressive in whatever we're talking about and whatever we're doing. I didn't know exactly what word to use there."

Nick Saban linked to new role

Nick Saban has been linked with a new role within the West Virginia Mountaineers set up by "The Voice of Motown" analyst Brad Smith just months after retiring from his Alabama Crimson Tide post.

Smith detailed in his report that Saban, a native of West Virginia, could consult in hiring coach Neal Brown's replacement.

“Again, this is pure speculation and unlikely to happen, but if Saban doesn’t return to the staff, he certainly could be a part of the hiring process as a consultant,” Smith prefaced before saying, “If that’s the case, Glenn Schumann makes an awful lot of sense as a replacement for Neal Brown."

Saturday Blitz analyst Peter Bartell further linked Saban to the defensive coordinator job should Neal Brown be fired and Glenn Schumann hired as the coach.

Despite links to the Mountaineers, Saban seems to be relishing his role on ESPN's College GameDay.