President Donald Trump gestures to fans while standing next to U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (L) and Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris (R) after swearing in a new group of U.S. military recruits during halftime of the game between the Detroit Lions and Commanders as part of the NFL Salute to Service initiative at Northwest Stadium.

United States President Donald Trump called in to "The Pat McAfee Show" during a Veterans Day broadcast Tuesday, Nov. 11, and the country's most powerful sports fan weighed in on a bevy of topics.

In a wide-ranging interview, Trump spoke about former Alabama coach Nick Saban and the future of college sports in the NIL era, NFL's kickoff rule, the Ryder Cup and the World Cup, among other topics. Here's some highlights from Trump's appearance.

Listen to Trump on Pat McAfee

"I'm only joining you because I hear you say such nice things about me from your very large audience," Trump said to McAfee to start the interview at about the 1:09:30 mark. "I've always heard you've said such nice things. When people say nice about me, I join. When they don't say nice about me, I take a pass."

Trump dishes on Nick Saban, NIL era of college sports

"He won a lot and I got to know him, and he’s a fantastic guy, and he’s somebody they should really get involved in college sports in terms of making sure it all works out because what’s happening is it looks like it’s not working out too well for colleges, for most of the people, and a lot of the lesser sports are being totally terminated. You know that. It’s a shame. It was almost like a training ground for the Olympics and a lot of those training grounds are being lost and Nick knows this stuff better than anybody. He’s really active in it and I think they ought to let Nick Saban take a good, strong look at it. I can tell you, from my standpoint, I listen to what he has to say.

"Well, it is a very serious problem because even football where they give quarterbacks $12 million, $13-$14 million … all of a sudden you’re going to be out of control. And even rich colleges are going to go bust because you’re not going to be able to do this. And you know they had the old way, they gave scholarships, they did lots of good things, but there could be some form of payment. But when they start bidding up the costs, look the NFL and all the leagues have caps. You don’t really have that in college sports, and when the guard comes along that ways 350 pounds and he’s phenomenal and they say it’s the difference between having a great team and a lousy team, they gave him $10 million, that’s going to start happening pretty soon. All of a sudden you’re going to have like NFL-type payrolls.

"I don’t care how rich the colleges are, you don’t make that much money, even the most successful. They’re not going to be able to do this. Bad things are going to happen unless we figure this out. That’s why a guy like Nick Saban, now I’ve worked with Nick, but a guy like Nick Saban and some others getting together because they’re going to have to do something. Colleges can’t afford it. And what they’re doing, I don’t want to use any particular sport because it’s degrading, but they are really terminating a lot of sports, you know, sports you would call them lesser sports. But big sports, good sports. Sports where there have tremendous interest, they’re getting rid of them, and frankly the college football is very big, but as big as it is, if they don’t do some very powerful caps, these colleges are all going to go out of business no matter how rich they are."

Trump mentions Washington NFL team name debate

Trump wasn't asked specifically about his desire to have the Washington Commanders change their name, but did mention it in passing while discussing his recent appearance at the Commanders' Week 10 loss to the Detroit Lions.

"The Commanders as opposed to the Redskins. What happened to the Redskins, by the way?" Trump said while answering a question about whether he speaks with world leaders about sports.

Trump on United States Ryder Cup loss to Europe

"The other team, they really sank a lot of putts. You’re looking and they’re sinking 30-footers, 40-footers, 70-footer, and just one after another, and it was interesting. It looked like it was over and then Sunday, it really, they almost came back. You have to give a big hoot to an opponent who dropped about a six foot putt. That was a big putt, that final putt. It was a big putt. But that was very close. Look, I think they sank, they putted unbelievably, really they were unconscious with it. I really believe that that was unusual because I’ve never seen so many long putts go in before. I don’t think, generally speaking, that would happen. We actually, our team actually hit the ball a little bit better, hit more fairways. If the rough were longer ... it might have been a little bit different. But look, they’re all great players. I know so many of them from both sides and they are just very talented people."

Trump calls NFL kickoff rule 'demeaning'

"I hate the kickoff in (NFL) football. I think it’s so terrible. I think it’s so demeaning. I think it hurts the game, I think it hurts the game, it hurts the pageantry. I’ve told that to Roger Goodell, and I don’t think it’s any safer. You saw those guys crashing into each other. It’s the opposite of what the game, the ball is in the air and nobody is moving. It’s supposed to be when the ball is in the air, when the ball is played, you’re supposed to move. If you walk in, and the pageantry of the game is so badly hurt, and I don’t think the NFL – they do what they want. I don’t think they’ll change. But I hope college football doesn’t change because the power of the kickoff was so beautiful and now, I don’t want to say what it reminds me of because I’ll get myself into big trouble. But it is not football.”

"It was so good and now it's so bad. It's so unromantic. It just is demeaning to football. I don't think they have a right to do that to the game. You know, the game is so important. I don't think the people that approved that, I don't think anybody has the right to do that to the game, and I hope college doesn't change. I hope that some day the NFL will stop it and go back to football."

This story will be updated

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump on Pat McAfee Show: Listen to President talk NFL kickoff rule, NIL and Nick Saban

Reporting by Mark Giannotto, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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