The stars have fallen on Alabama. ESPN stars, that is, in Tuscaloosa for the Crimson Tide’s showdown against the Texas Longhorns.

The game kicks off at 6 p.m. Saturday night, but ESPN shows “College GameDay,” “SEC Nation” and “The Pat McAfee Show” are already rolling in T-Town, drawing big crowds and making dreams come true.

READ: Alabama football fan guide to Tide’s huge game vs. Texas

While “College GameDay” and “SEC Nation” will broadcast live from the Quad and Wade Hall, respectively, early Saturday morning, the network’s newest star, former Indianapolis Colts punter-turned-sports-media-phenomenon McAfee and his crew hit the set Friday afternoon and even welcomed Nick Saban for a segment that broke some news.

The Alabama coach, donning a crimson blazer, had some fun with McAfee and his pals AJ Hawk, Ty Schmit, Tone Digs and Boston Connor, as they revealed Saban would appear on the show every Thursday during the 2023 season.

McAfee, whose star keeps rising across the sports media landscape, draws a big crowd of passionate fans chanting and cheering throughout his 3-hour broadcast, with a few signs (”Horns Dahn,” referencing McAfee’s pronunciation of the word “down”). They got the people excited by hyping up the game, but the place went wild when at the end of the show, Hawk buried a long basketball shot from the stage that secured free tuition for one lucky University of Alabama student. Hawk took four shots, missing three but swishing one to ensure the young man’s academic financial future.

Other ESPN personalities like Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis, Tim Tebow and Roman Harper met with local media to break down Saturday’s game, as Paul Finebaum broadcast his radio show from Wade Hall starting at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon.

Crowds continue to build on campus and in greater Tuscaloosa for one of the biggest games of the early college football season.

See the photos from Tuscaloosa.