For us, Alabama fans, we have been spoiled for the past decade with Nick Saban and the success the football team has had. However, there were moments where phones were blowing up with texts and heckles from jealous fans pointing at the short-term failures.
This list will include players from the current 2025 season back to 2010 only. These players are notorious for tearing up the Tide, ending playoff/championship runs, and memorable moments of misery for Crimson Tide fans. They are true villains of the Tide that still produce trauma whenever fans hear their name.
These villains still haunt the nightmares of Alabama fans
10. Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt
Pavia has a chance to increase his spot on this list with an upset win over the Tide this upcoming Saturday. He may even be able to kickstart his Heisman campaign with back-to-back wins over Alabama.
Fans still remember the shock of Pavia and the Vandy offense putting up 40 points, and then fans tearing down the goal posts. Pavia got it done through the air and on the ground, with the Commodores utilizing plenty of motion, RPOs, and option. A recipe that a majority of Bama fans will point to as the kryptonite of the team's decades of success. Pavia went 16/20 with 252 yards passing, two touchdowns, and a QBR of 96 through the air. On the ground, he had 20 carries for 56 yards and opened up the running and play-action game for the Commodores. Not to mention, this was right after Nick Saban openly laughed at Vanderbilt being the easiest place to play. Fans viewed this as an easy win, especially after beating Georgia the week before.
I still haven't gotten over this loss and am nervous for when Vandy plays Alabama this weekend. Alabama is missing some key edge rushers, and Florida State laid the blueprint for how to beat this Crimson Tide defense in week 1.
9. Hunter Renfrow, WR, Clemson
Renfrow is on this list because of the last-second touchdown catch that won Clemson a national championship in 2016. The Tide were looking to secure back-to-back national championships after beating Clemson the year before, while the Tigers were looking for revenge. Was it an illegal pick with less than 10 seconds on the clock that secured them the win? The officials did not think so, but that question was debated for months afterwards.
Renfrow finished the game with 10 catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. That rub route on the goal line is still lingering. Overshadowed by that, in the Tide's national championship victory the year before, Renfrow still had seven catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. The shifty receiver consistently found a way to get open against the vaunted Bama defense of that time.
I still believe that the winning touchdown should have been called offensive pass interference. It will forever be ingrained in my memory along with the call from the announcers.
8. Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
Hyatt is on this list for when the Volunteers upset Alabama 52-49 in 2022. He was getting open consistently against the defense, hauling in six receptions for 207 yards and a school record of five touchdown receptions. It seemed like every time he caught a pass, it was for a score, and the defense could not stop him. Fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts after the last-second field goal was made to give Tennessee its first win in 15 games against the Tide. He would go on to win the Biletnikoff award, with pundits pointing to this game as validation for his trophy.
Hyatt is at eight for this being one of the first times where the "Alabama is not good anymore" crowd really started to chime in at me. Every time a ball was up in the air in his direction, the anxiety was overwhelming as a fan.
7. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
Arguably the best LSU quarterback the Tide has faced in the last 20 years, Joe Burrow and the Tigers defeated Alabama 46-41 in 2019. Burrow finished the game going 31/39 for 393 yards and three passing touchdowns. In a battle of two AP top-three teams, Burrow and the Tigers dismantled Alabama's defense with the former on his way to a Heisman trophy. Fans felt a sense of dread with every drive that he had led in this offensive shootout. Burrow and LSU got their revenge from the year before and snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide.
Burrow would have been higher on this list if he had performed moderately better in the prior year against Alabama. He is at number seven for the sense of inevitable destiny around him that year. It seemed to me that Burrow, with the receiving core he had, the Tigers had Alabama's number that year and that they would go on to be national champions. The conductor of an unstoppable offense that is still debated as one of the best offensive teams in college football history.
6. Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss
Chad Kelly earns his place on this list for #15 Ole Miss upsetting #2 Alabama 43-37. Kelly completed 18 of his 33 passes for 341 yards along with three touchdowns. He also scored an additional touchdown with his legs. What fans probably remember most is his scramble and heave that had shades of Eli Manning to David Tyree and "The Helmet Catch". It was one of those games where it seemed everything was going Ole Miss' way, and the Tide were in for a long day. The Rebels jumped out to an early 17-3 lead that they never lost to win against the Tide for consecutive seasons.
That circus throw and catch gave flashbacks of another quarterback on this list that made fans, including myself, say, "Here we go again." Sometimes you need some luck to add to the skill, and Ole Miss had plenty of both when they pulled off this upset. That heave is one of the craziest plays in college football history, and it came at the expense of the Tide.
5. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
One thing fans always expected with Nick Saban at Alabama was that their opponents would have a hard time running the ball. This was not the case during the 2014 Sugar Bowl. Elliott is the only running back on this list, as well as the only player from the BIG 10. Deservingly, he had 20 carries for 230 yards, which averaged over 10 yards per carry. Add two scores plus an 85-yard rushing TD to seal the game. This knocked Alabama out of the playoffs and created one of the most iconic radio calls for Ohio State fans.
Ohio State would keep "feeding Zeke" on their way to a national championship in the new college football playoff format, cementing themselves as the first-ever CFB playoff national champions.
Elliot earns his spot on my list as the running back who went "85 yards through the heart of the South". If there is one team out there that has fans with the same zeal and passion as fans of the Crimson Tide, it's Ohio State fans. Football is like a religion in Ohio. Ohio State fans still talk about this championship run and constantly remind me of Zeke's performance. The Alabama Sugar Bowl hoodie finally arrived the week after to my front door, which added salt to the wound.
4. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers finally got their revenge against the Tide for the previous year's national championship defeat. Watson completed 36/56 passes for 420 yards and three touchdowns for the Tigers as they went on to win the 2017 national championship 35-31 against the Tide. Watson also rushed for 43 yards on 21 carries with an additional score. Watson was the thrower who produced Renfrow's touchdown, who also appeared on this list.
It seemed as if Clemson and the Tide were always squaring off for a few years in the college football playoff, with Watson playing an integral role as villain to the Tide's back-to-back championship status. Even in the 45-40 loss the year before, he carved up Alabama, completing 30 of his 47 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 20 carries for 73 yards. Both championship games were back-and-forth contests that proved Watson was a thorn in the side of crimson dominance.
Watson deserves the number four spot for being the consistent threat to the Tide's championship hopes for consecutive seasons. He put up spectacular numbers each time Alabama and Clemson faced off in the national championship games. I still believe that game-winning touchdown in 2016 was offensive pass interference, but Deshaun Watson was one of those rivals you respected as a fan.
3. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
One of the most unforgettable Iron Bowls of all time, consisting of one of college football's greatest comebacks of all time, was led by Cam Newton. Alabama came out to a 24-0 lead before Auburn would rattle off 21 unanswered points, eventually winning the game 28-27. Newton ended the game 13/20 for 216 yards and three passing touchdowns. He had 22 carries for 39 yards and a rushing score. Alabama's hopes for a BCS title were dashed. Auburn would go undefeated and win a national championship. Newton would go on to win the Heisman.
Auburn and "Super Cam" pulled off a comeback in one of the most bitter rivalries in college football. His comeback also inspired one of the most heinous acts in the rivalry between Alabama and Auburn, with Harvey Updyke poisoning the trees on Toomer Corner.
Cam is high on my list for the hatred he received from Alabama fans. They made it known that he wasn't well-liked, dubbing him with the nickname "Scam" Newton. All great villains need infamy, and with that nickname, Cam has etched himself into Auburn legend and Bama nightmares. My nightmares.
2. Chris Davis Jr., CB, Auburn
The only defensive player on this list. He didn't give Alabama consistent nightmares, but his greatest performance may be the greatest moment in the last 20 years of college football. It may also be the lowest point for Bama fans. That radio call was played on national television and sports media for weeks and months. Davis took a missed Alabama field goal for 107 yards to walk off with a win. Fans rushed onto the field to celebrate their 2013 Iron Bowl win over Alabama. Auburn was in the national championship game, and Alabama was out. The then-famous Kick-6 had crushed the dreams of the Tide and their fans.
I still hate watching the full clip of the kick return. If I am watching a college football highlights compilation, I skip right over it. It seemed as if Nick Saban was a genius once again for getting that timeout off with a second to spare. I remember being so grateful that the referees reviewed it, and they were going to add one second left to the clock. Then the field goal unit came out. Having already missed three field goals in this game, I couldn't believe they were going to try this long a field goal. Why not try for a Hail Mary? Play for overtime? Then Davis catches the ball.. I'm going to skip the rest for my own emotional well-being.
1. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
The beginning of the legend of "Money Manziel". Alabama fans watched him dance around in the pocket, scramble for first downs, evade the pass rush, and lob it throughout most of the game. Nick Saban even talked about recruiting differently for the linebacker position on the defensive side of the ball to keep up with athletic quarterbacks, like Manziel. The legend of Johnny Manziel was born because of this game and stunned the college football world. Texas A&M would upset Alabama 29-24 at College Station. Manziel went 24/31 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. He had a QBR of 97 while adding 18 carries for 92 yards. He led the Aggies in rushing.
Alabama fans can still remember him bouncing around the pocket, evading rushers for what seemed like an eternity, for him to finally find a wide-open receiver in the endzone. He deserves the number one spot on this list for this upset in 2012. It was magical.
My number one villain over the last two decades. I can still remember my high school self, leg rocking, biting on my hoodie strings nervously, watching the upset unfold on the screen. The amount of text messages I received from gleeful Alabama hate watchers was unprecedented and still is to this day. Going to school the following Monday, Money Manziel was all the talk. Even saw a few jerseys in the hallways the following months. There may be nothing like the aura Manziel exuberated, and the nerves he instilled in fans every time he took the field against the Tide. Fans were just hoping the "Manziel Magic " would run out while Bama had the lead.
*All stats and scores were found on ESPN.