In the library of stadium anthems, there's just something about "Wagon Wheel."
It has an irresistibly American story, having been fleshed out gradually from a Bob Dylan snippet to Old Crow Medicine Show's signature song to Darius Rucker's high-definition Nashville showcase. It is simple. It is catchy. It is geographically precise (well, kind of).
"Wagon Wheel" is so intoxicating that even a man of ex-Alabama coach Nick Saban's stature can fall under its spell. On Saturday, cameras captured Saban jamming out to Rucker's performance of the song on College GameDay ahead of South Carolina's home game against No. 16 LSU.
Darius Rucker performs 'Wagon Wheel' in Columbia on College GameDay.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 14, 2024
Nick Saban: "Every Saturday night we had a karaoke party at our house in recruiting, and the No. 1 requested song was 'Wagon Wheel'!" 🏈📺🎙️🎶 pic.twitter.com/XomYWX69YR
Saban singing Wagon Wheel is everything I didn’t know I needed and more pic.twitter.com/5RiDV8WzjZ
— Courtney McKinney (@CourtAnne1225) September 14, 2024
"Every Saturday night we had a karaoke party at our house in recruiting, and the No. 1 requested song was 'Wagon Wheel.'" Saban said after Rucker's performance.
Unfortunately, the presence of Rucker—a Gamecocks superfan who formed Hootie and the Blowfish at South Carolina—could not lift his squad past the Tigers, who left Columbia with a thrilling 36–33 win.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Even Nick Saban Sang During Darius Rucker's College GameDay 'Wagon Wheel' Performance.
