Five players who may regret leaving Alabama in 2024
Caleb Downs
Alright, maybe this one is a bit spiteful. I think Downs might literally be the best college football player in the country. He would be a difference-maker wearing any jersey, and will do just fine for himself in the Big Ten. Just like Alabama, Ohio State will surround Downs with elite defensive personnel that will allow him to thrive. He will likely spend two years in Columbus before becoming a first-round draft pick in 2025.
Still, I will stubbornly argue that Alabama gave him the best opportunity to showcase his skills. Even with Coach Nick Saban gone, Downs would have had a field day in Kane Wommack’s 4-2-5 defense. This scheme features the safety position prominently. For a sure tackler like Downs who is constantly around the ball and led Alabama with 107 stops last season, the playmaking opportunities would’ve been endless.
The step down in competition is another factor. With just a couple of exceptions, Big Ten offenses are abysmal, archaic, and won’t be as effective in helping Downs prepare for the NFL. Perhaps it would be different if he played closer to the line of scrimmage, but playing safety in a conference that produced the five worst Power Five offenses in college football last year will not be beneficial.
Further, Big Ten schools like Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Rutgers all produced fewer than 150 passing yards per game last season. All four ranked in the bottom eight of all FBS teams in passing YPG along with Ball State and the three service academies.
Downs will be playing over half of his 2024 schedule against G5 opponents and quite literally the worst offenses the P4 has to offer. This season, Ohio State will play one team (Oregon) that ranked in the top-54 in total offense last season and six that ranked outside the top-100. For comparison, Alabama plays just one opponent that was outside the top-100 (Vanderbilt) and seven that ranked in the top-54, including five that were in the top-20 and three of the top-5.
Year in and year out, the SEC is the cream of the crop in terms of developing NFL talent. Though Ohio State has a huge brand and develops plenty of pros, most of its conference foes can’t say the same. At Alabama, Downs would've been playing with and against future pros almost every week.