WATCH: Marlon Humphrey admits to teaching Nick Saban about ‘deez nuts’
It has been well established that Alabama head coach Nick Saban loves a good “deez nuts” joke. The joke resurfaced this week after Alabama safety Jordan Battle told the media that Saban had returned to his old ways, telling him to “touch deez” and “suck on deez” throughout practice.
Former assistant coach Lane Kiffin spoke up Wednesday morning, accusing former Alabama defensive back and current Baltimore Raven Marlon Humphrey of teaching Saban about “deez nuts” jokes. Humphrey addressed the rumors following the Ravens practice on Wednesday afternoon.
“Me and Nick Saban go way back,” Humphrey told the media on Wednesday after practice. “Honestly, I just used to be talking and he’s so locked in I didn’t really know if he really listened to what I said.”
He continued: “Shoutout to Jordan Battle. I wouldn’t have said that in the media but now that it’s out there – Saban is a good jokester and I’m just happy I left my mark with the guy.”
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With the start date on Saban’s “deez nuts” jokes now taking shape thanks to Marlon Humphrey, it is time to look back to the first player who brought “deez nuts’ to the public’s eye, former Alabama running back and current Las Vegas Raider Josh Jacobs.
“What people don’t understand about him is he’s actually very funny,” Jacobs said in 2019. “He’s definitely a players’ coach. I remember one day at practice I was just catching a lot of balls — and you know he works with the defensive side so he’s always on the offensive players.”
He continued: “If I was catching a lot of passes that day, he would try to say something like, ‘Hey Josh, you keep catch all these passes, how about you hold deez?’ or something like that. Just something funny for a coach to try and translate and get to know to each player.
Former Alabama quarterback and current Miami Dolphin Tua Tagovailoa later confirmed the information to Patrick in a radio interview. With multiple sources confirming the bizarre Saban story, Patrick could not help but ask Nick Saban about his classic comedy routine.
“Well, I like to have fun with the players,” Saban said. “I think that it’s good that they see you every now and then in a little bit of a different light. Since I am a defensive coach, and I probably get on the defensive players a little bit more ferociously, it’s a little bit easier for me to be more lighthearted with the offensive players.”