There will be an added “air” of excitement to Alabama’s Homecoming game next week.

Not only will the Crimson Tide’s Oct. 14 matchup against Arkansas feature homecoming festivities in Tuscaloosa, but a solar eclipse will happen right around halftime.

The path of the partial eclipse is several hundred miles away but its peak – at 60-70% shadowing over the southwestern part of the state – will occur between 12:05 and 12:10 p.m. The game is scheduled for an 11 a.m. kickoff.

For Head Coach Nick Saban, the news of the eclipse was revealed to him by meteorologist James Spann (via Charlie Potter of Alabama On3). Saban said an eclipse is something he has never dealt with in his coaching career.

“This is a new one on me. I didn’t know that, and I’ve never had to deal with that, honestly, in my entire coaching career,” he quipped. “So you may have to coach me up on how to handle this distraction.”

Check out Spann’s full report on the situation here:

COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND A SOLAR ECLIPSE: We have an interesting situation coming up one week from Saturday (October 14)… a solar eclipse will take place while many college football games are being played.

Alabama has a home game against Arkansas; kickoff is 11a CT. Here it will be… pic.twitter.com/BBs4gYfNLC

— James Spann (@spann) October 5, 2023

Generally, looking up into an eclipse requires proper specific eye protection, so Spann cautioned against fans (and Saban) doing just that.