Caleb Downs reveals what stood out playing for Nick Saban as a freshman

After Nick Saban announced his retirement in January of 2024, Caleb Downs entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. He ultimately landed at Ohio State, where he won a national championship this past season. Nonetheless, Downs never forgot the lessons he learned from Saban.

“He was the most consistent person that I’ve ever met,” Downs said in an interview with RG‘s DJ Siddiqi. “He was the same person every day, and that’s something that I acknowledged, and I learned from him. Just watching how he operated is a key piece to success. Just making sure every day, you put your best foot forward and you go in with the intention to be the best and with the mindset I’m going to do everything the right way so I can be in the best position.”

While Downs didn’t stay at Alabama, he excelled in his lone season with the Crimson Tide. For his efforts in the 2023 campaign, Downs was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year, the SEC Freshman of the Year, and the SEC Newcomer of the Year. He also earned First-Team All-SEC honors.

In total, Downs tallied 107 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble while at Alabama. He was the first Alabama freshman to lead the team in tackles in program history.

Downs’ respect for Saban isn’t one-sided. Although Downs moved on from Alabama, Saban continued to cheer on his former player last season from the ESPN College GameDay desk.

“One of my favorite all-time players. Absolutely. One of my favorite,” Saban said of Downs. “As a freshman — the maturity that he showed, the preparation, the way that he performed. I loved the guy. He’s a great person.”

In his debut season at Ohio State, Caleb Downs recorded 81 tackles, three pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He was the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and a unanimous All-American. Simply put, Downs has been dominant no matter what jersey he’s wearing, or who’s coaching him.

“It’s just a different philosophy. The standard is the same and the expectation is the same — that you win every game and that you go out and dominate every play,” Downs said about the difference between Ohio State and Alabama. “But the means of how you do it is different, so I would say that’s the biggest thing. The differences is how the head man wants to run the program.”