Kaitlan Collins is truly one of us. Like the rest of the state, the Prattville native is grieving the stunning news of now-former Alabama football coach Nick Saban’s retirement.

She currently hosts CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” (airing weeknights at 8 p.m. central) where she interviews high-profile political figures including U.S. presidential candidates, but often reserves time to remind viewers where her college football loyalties lie, including reporting the news of Saban’s retirement.

Collins never shies away from sharing her Alabama football fandom on national television, especially when pressed by her colleagues to analyze the Tide’s hopes for yet another national championship under Saban. When she attended the University of Alabama in 2010-2014, Collins attended nearly every game during one of the Tide’s most dominant stretches. Nostalgia hit hard on a recent trip to visit her brother. “I was like, I really wish I could be a college student for just one more weekend and just come back and go to a game because you don’t realize how good you have it until you’ve graduated,” she told AL.com.

During a recent appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” the former “Saturday Night Live” star joked Collins’ Bama fandom is a “mental illness,” which she gladly took in stride.

And while she couldn’t have predicted last week’s chaos in Tuscaloosa, Collins quickly planned to cover it on the national airwaves. And she spoke to AL.com about her emotional reaction to Saban’s departure and what the future holds for her beloved Crimson Tide. (Note: We spoke to Collins shortly before Alabama announced the hire of Kalen DeBoer.)

Kaitlan, by now, America knows you’re an Alabama fan. And not just a fan, a die-hard fan. For a while, you had Nick Saban as your background photo on Twitter. So what was your initial reaction when you heard he was retiring?

Kaitlan Collins: I mean, disbelief. And then quickly, devastation. I went to the game in Pasadena. After the way it ended, I think everyone kind of thought, all right, this is terrible and no one wants that ending, but we thought maybe it was at least another season of Nick Saban. It’s like the thing that you dread but you know it’s going to happen at some point. I think I’m still processing it two days later.

You had Joe Namath on your show last night, and you had a terrific intro contextualizing Saban’s career at Alabama. You’ve traveled the world, covered presidents, done so much now at the highest level of broadcasting. Where does reporting Saban’s retirement rank for Kaitlan Collins?

You know what’s so funny? We had the debate on Wednesday night, so we didn’t have a show. Probably for the best because I don’t think emotionally I was in a good spot to be able talk about Saban leaving. So we had a day to think about it. And we’ve always wanted to have Joe Namath on. That’s been a dream of mine, but we wanted the right reason to have him on. So the minute he said yes, it was just like absolutely, let’s do it. And he actually made some news by revealing he had talked to Greg Byrne about who could potentially replace Saban and what Greg Byrne’s going to be looking for.

And I also think Joe Namath was also kind of a perfect guest, because he’s not just known to Alabama fans. He has such a broad range. And so I think he was the perfect guest to talk to about this. We interview prime ministers, politicians all the time. But to have Joe Namath on was such a fun moment. The whole team loved it. My dad loved it. I got so many messages after. You don’t expect to see Joe Namath on CNN, typically. It was great to have him on and someone who really appreciates Saban and what he’s done for the school and the state.

You mentioned the emotional response that you had. Alabama has a long history and championship tradition, so you would have had plenty to draw on even without him, but Nick Saban elevated it to a global brand, one that you could proudly express on national television. What has this run meant to you personally in how you’ve taken so many opportunities to share your fandom on the air the last several years?

It means everything. There’s such a sense of pride, and that is really why I think Alabama means so much to the fans. It really is a global thing. I’ll never forget when I was in Israel when I was still covering the White House with President Biden. And I’d never been and we were walking in the old city of Jerusalem, and there is a store in the old city, an Alabama store. It’s this guy who’s never been to the United States. He had a brother who lived in Buckhead for a little bit and was like, “You’ve got to to start watching the Alabama Crimson Tide.” So this guy started watching and now he sells this Alabama stuff that has “Roll Tide” written in Hebrew. I was like, “Who is your audience? Because I am your number one customer.” It’s such a funny thing how it is such a recognizable brand. It’s something everyone knows about even if they’re not big football fans.

My dad put it in good context the other night when we were talking about Saban leaving. Saban’s really the only coach I’ve ever known in the sense that, obviously we had all the years before and the back-and-forth and the turmoil before he came in 2007. But I was a freshman in high school in 2007, so since I was that old until now, Saban has been the head coach at Alabama. So for him to leave is such a sea change, for me personally as a fan and for so many people. I do think it’s bigger than football because people appreciate what he’s done for the school. Every time you go back to Tuscaloosa, there’s some new building on campus or you meet new students who come in from Boston or L.A. And they’re going to Alabama because of the football program and its excellence. It’s just one of those moments, like a watershed moment, when you remember where you were when Nick Saban retired. My dad texted me the other day, and he said “I can remember where I was when Bear Bryant retired.” He said he was in the seventh grade standing outside a flag pole at school and he remembers someone telling him. It’s just one of those moments. It stays with you forever.

So everyone down here in Alabama is looking forward. A coaching search is underway to find his successor. Who was your choice for next coach when you heard the news?

It’s a great question, and I don’t know. I think whoever you pick, no one can replace Nick Saban. There’s no replacing him. There is succeeding him. Joe Namath said last night, “God bless that person.” Because it’s going to be a tough job. I think he said they’re going to have to have a brave heart to take that job. I just think it’s got to be someone who’s hungry. Someone who’s never experienced a national championship before or never had that. But I do think it’s got to be someone like Nick Saban in the sense of the commitment to excellence, the work, staying so far away from complacency, and just having that drive to step into something that he’s built. That’s something that’s different for whoever’s taking over. When Saban came in 2007, he had to rebuild everything. This is someone who’s walking into a totally different program and a totally different world of college football with NIL and the transfer portal, as we’ve seen play out over the last few days. So I don’t know. I feel for whoever it is, though, because it’s a tough job.

Last thing on Alabama, what’s it going to take for you to be celebrity guest picker on College GameDay?

You know, that’s on my bucket list dream of being the guest picker. Rece Davis and I have talked about it some. It’s like my dream to do that. So I don’t know, hopefully next time they’re in Alabama I’ll be able to. I think I’d be beside myself if I actually got the opportunity to do so. As you know, I watch “College GameDay” every single Saturday. I love it. I miss football season already. I know we’re only a few days out of it, but I miss it already.

“The Source with Kaitlan Collins” airs weeknights on CNN at 8 p.m. central. Follow Collins on X (formerly Twitter).