Former Alabama star Caleb Downs weighs in on Nick Saban’s possible return to coaching
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Former Alabama star safety Caleb Downs transferred away when Nick Saban retired in January of 2024.
Downs had a standout freshman season under Saban’s close eye, but when the legend decided he was done coaching, Downs decided he was done in Tuscaloosa. He didn’t want to play at Alabama if Saban wasn’t coaching at Alabama, so he transferred to Ohio State and helped the Buckeyes win the national title.
Saban almost won a national title in his final season at Alabama in 2023 with Downs helping lead the way. The duo got the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff, where they lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Michigan in the semifinals.
That turned out to be it for Saban. It was his final game as a head coach.
Or was it?
Rumors were flying last week at SEC Media Days about Saban making a comeback to coaching. Even one of his former players, quarterback-turned-analyst Greg McElroy, said “a very much in-the-know person” believed that “Saban is not done coaching.”
So, what does Downs, another former Saban player, believe about the rumors? While representing Ohio State at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas, Downs praised Saban for being someone he has “a lot of love and respect for.”
“I can see him coming back, but I haven’t talked to him about it, so I can’t really say whether he’s going to do that or not,” said Downs to reporters in Las Vegas. “If he does, I’m sure he’ll make a big impact on college football. But, I mean, that’s going to be some news if he decides to do it.”
And that might be the understatement of the century.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
