Trevon Diggs thanks Nick Saban for career-changing decision
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs spoke on Sunday about a decision Alabama head coach Nick Saban made for him when his college football career began. Originally joining Alabama as a wide receiver, Saban had Diggs switch to defensive back his sophomore season.
Trevon Diggs on Nick Saban’s change
While Diggs’ goal as he began his college career was to make the NFL as a wide receiver like his brother, Buffalo Bills’ Stefon Diggs, Saban saw another path for the young athlete. Saban had Diggs switch to the defensive side of the ball, a move that hurt Trevon Diggs when he first heard about it.
“When Alabama coach Nick Saban first told Trevon Diggs to move from wide receiver to cornerback, he cried,” explained USA Today’s Jori Epstein. “He was hurt and called his brother, NFL wide receiver Stefon [Diggs], who told him to get to work. Now: Trevon has a massive 6 interceptions in 5 games. [His] message to Saban: ‘Thanks.”
Despite not understanding it at the time, the support of Saban and Diggs’ older brother Stefon helped him persevere and eventually shine in his new role. Through five weeks of NFL action, Diggs has six interceptions and leads the league by a large margin. Diggs has managed at least one interception in every game this season.
“Honestly, I couldn’t see what Saban was trying to do at the time,” Diggs told Michael Irvin on his podcast. “I thought it was just [him] trying to switch my position. But he really believed in me, he really saw something in me, you know, and I had to see it in myself to make it happen.
“Honestly, I cried. I called him and I was crying,” Diggs recalled to Irvin. “I’m like, ‘Bro, he’s trying to switch my position’… He’s like, forget all that, you know what you gotta do. You know what you’re supposed to do. You played it before, let’s just get to the grind. Let’s get to it.
“So that’s basically what his message to me was, but at first I was crying. And I just sucked it up and got to work.”
Now in his second season as an NFL player, Diggs has exploded as one of the most dangerous cornerbacks in the league. Drafted with the 51st pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the emergence of Diggs has helped the Cowboys jump out to a 4-1 start on the season with their eyes and hopes turned towards the postseason early.