Nick Saban wasn’t just the best coach in the history of college football; he was also the best defensive backs coach in the sport. So, once Saban retired, the position group that was once his specialty emptied out.
Alabama lost 11 defensive backs to the portal last offseason, the most of any position group after Saban’s departure, including 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year, Caleb Downs. The five-star recruit was dominant for the Tide in his true freshman season, and though he fled the program for Ohio State, he feels for his former classmates after their loss to Florida State in Week 1.
In his podcast “Downs 2 Business,” which he hosts with his brother, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs, Caleb was asked about his feelings watching his former team play after his Buckeyes knocked off No. 1 Texas in Columbus the same day.
“It definitely hurt watching that game, just because my class is the one that’s playing now,” Downs said. “Everybody expected them to play at a high level, everybody expected them to win that game. It just hurt watching.”
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Caleb Downs undoubtedly made the right decision, leaving Alabama
That may also hurt to hear for Alabama fans who are undoubtedly wishing that Downs was still patrolling the secondary in Tuscaloosa. What’s most painful is that it’s clear he made the right decision to leave.
Regardless of what the NIL payday was from either program, after playing in the College Football Playoff semifinal with Saban’s Crimson Tide as a freshman, Downs won the national title with the Buckeyes as a sophomore. Now, after getting the best of Arch Manning and the Longhorns in Week 1, Ohio State jumped from No. 3 to No. 1 in the AP Top 25, while Alabama slid from No. 8 to No. 21.
The Tide may still find a way to win games and compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff under Kalen DeBoer this season, but with the transition from Saban, it was unlikely that even with Downs, who is arguably the best defensive player in the entire country, that he would have adorned his hands with much hardware in Tuscaloosa.
He already has one championship ring with the Buckeyes and will likely be in contention for both a Big Ten and National Championship again this season. It's not often a player makes the right decison leaving Alabama, but Downs absolutely did after Saban retired.