U.S. President Donald Trump spent the Sunday before Presidents’ Day where he spends most weekends — on the golf course. But it was who he was paired with that caught the attention of the sports world.
Retired college football coaches Nick Saban and Urban Meyer reportedly joined Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for a round of 18 holes on Sunday at the president’s West Palm Beach (Fla.) course, according to White House pool reporter Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal‘s Alex Leary.
There’s no word what prompted this particular foursome, though Saban and Meyer have been vocal proponents for national legislation to help address the biggest issues facing collegiate sports, including anti-trust protections for the NCAA and amid the growing financial and competitive concerns tied to NIL and the transfer portal.
Trump has long been a fan of Saban following Alabama’s multiple White House visits to celebrate national championships during his first term. Trump even named the seven-time national champion head coach as a co-chair of a never-realized presidential commission on college sports last June.
During a November appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Trump praised Saban and doubled-down on his desire to see the ESPN College GameDay analyst “get involved” in helping fix college athletics.
“I know him, and I got to know him because he brought his team to the White House. You know, he had the team, he won a lot. And I got to know him. He’s a fantastic guy, and he’s somebody that really, they should get involved in college sports in terms of making sure that, you know, it all works out,” Trump said Nov. 11. “Because what’s happening is, it looks like it’s not working out too well, for colleges, and for most of the people. A lot of the lesser sports are being totally terminated. You know, it’s a shame. It was almost like a training ground for the Olympics. A lot of those training grounds are being lost. You know, Nick knows this stuff better than anybody.
“He would be, and he was — he’s really active in it. I think they would have to let Nick Saban take a good, strong look at it, and we all — I can tell you, from my standpoint, I’d listen to what he has to say. I know him well, and he’s a fantastic guy, and what a great coach.”
Saban raved about the president’s love of sports during an early November appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“President Trump is a great sports fan,” Saban said Nov. 7. “He loves sports. He loves football, he loves all kinds of sports. And if you ever talk to him, that’s all he wants to talk about.”
Trump, who is currently in the midst of his second term as President, has attended the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the US Open, the FIFA Club World Cup Final and the Ryder Cup in recent years, as well as multiple College Football Playoff national championship games throughout his time in office.
— On3’s Steve Samra contributed to this report.