Ryan Day trolls Nick Saban about Caleb Downs’ development at Alabama
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Ryan Day knew exactly what he was getting in Caleb Downs after the talented defensive back transferred from Alabama to Ohio State after the retirement of Nick Saban. Downs didn’t prove him wrong: back-to-back All-American seasons, a national championship in 2024, and a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award in 2025. He also finished in the top 10 in the Heisman Trophy voting following the 2025 season.
Day is on hand in Pittsburgh as Downs is set to join Arvell Reese as a presumptive first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday. Before the big event, though, he was at the College GameDay desk with Saban, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond Howard.
The Ohio State head coach couldn’t resist taking a playful swipe at Saban over Downs’ success in Columbus.
“How would you try to quantify what he meant? Not just in physical attributes, but (he) seems like a tone setter in the entire building,” Herbstreit asked.
“I think the first thing that surprised me when Caleb came to Ohio State was that he was a mess,” Day joked. “I mean, I don’t know what they were doing at Alabama.”
“That really doesn’t surprise me,” Saban replied with a laugh.
After a little more kidding around, Day grew serious.
“I will say this,” he said, turning to Saban. “I don’t know how you feel, Coach, but he’s probably the most NFL-ready as an underclassman that I had ever been around. And certainly, when he came to us, he could have played in the NFL then. And he was coached by the best. He grew up in a way that he loved football. … I think the best thing that he does is he makes everybody on the field better.”
While it’s not expected to be a long wait for Downs, here’s the latest Kalshi market for Thursday’s top 10 picks:
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
