When ESPN’s College GameDay returned to Tuscaloosa on the morning of Sept. 28 ahead of Alabama’s showdown with Georgia, the usual crowd gathered: students with their signs, media personnel, cheerleaders and Big Al. However, behind rookie GameDay member Nick Saban, another standout group was seen.
The Alabama swim and dive team had assembled in the middle of the pit, wearing only speedos, goggles and swim caps.
Students had started camping for the pit as early as 2 p.m. the day before. But while people were beginning to line up, these swimmers were at a small school in Mississippi called Delta State, where they had their season opener. The Alabama swim team opened its season with a dominant win, with the women winning 117.50-44.50 and the men winning 218-44.
The swimmers arrived at GameDay around 8 a.m. and entered the pit, the section directly behind the set. They were easy to spot on TV, wearing their iconic white swim caps with a crimson Script A on the sides.
This is not the first time the swim team has attended GameDay. On Sept. 9, 2023, they were seen at GameDay before Alabama played Texas.
“If GameDay is out there, there’s no reason for us not to be out there as well,” junior swimmer Tim Korstanje said about the Sept. 28 GameDay. “I would definitely love to see the swim team keep that momentum up and stay present on GameDay, because it’s a fun tradition.”
The Alabama swim team has formed a special spirit squad known as “the Red Man group” that attends other Alabama sporting events. The group made its first appearance at a volleyball match in September 2019.
“We get a bunch of swimmers together, and we paint up in red body paint and go support a bunch of different sports around campus,” senior Charlie Hawke said.
The Red Man group has attended multiple gymnastics meets, including the home meet against LSU on Feb. 24, 2023. The group has also attended track meets and softball games.
Hawke said the group does this to support other teams around campus in their own unique way.
Sophomore Ben Kutufaris said he enjoyed going to GameDay with his teammates and the attention they received.
“You get a bunch of big dudes running around in speedos together, people are going to look and people are going to notice you’re there,” he said.
Kutufaris said that attending events like GameDay helps bring attention to other sports around campus that may not be as popular while also attracting eyes to the swim team.
“I think the only thing that would’ve made it slightly better is if we could have got up on one of the stands or maybe got a little more interaction from the presenters,” Hawke said.
With such a close-knit team, even showing up at a public event wearing almost nothing has been a fun experience for the team. Korstanje said that it was incredible to be there with his teammates and that everyone around them seemed to enjoy their presence, with some even asking for pictures.
Because everybody sees each other at practice every day, the group has formed a bond with each other.
“We see each other at the lowest of lows and at the highest of highs,” Kutufaris said. “It’s kind of what we want; We want to make a scene, make some attention.”
“I think if anyone were to look at us in a way to try and make us feel embarrassed, it would be the complete opposite,” he added.
Hawke said that the team enjoys seeing people get surprised when they go to events as a group.
The group has no plans to end the tradition; they will be there when GameDay returns.
“Whether we’re getting off a bus from four hours away or we have practice, we’ll get there as soon as we can,” Kutufaris said.
