Bama Central

Nick Saban Tells Cuss Story about Caleb Downs, Calls Auburn 'Haunted'

Former Alabama coach was on the losing end at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2019.
Christopher Walsh|
Pat McAfee Nick Saban, and Lee Corso fist bump before live broadcast during ESPN Gameday near Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, September 14, 2024.
Pat McAfee Nick Saban, and Lee Corso fist bump before live broadcast during ESPN Gameday near Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, September 14, 2024. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Let's be honest, a lot of University of Alabama fans swore when Caleb Downs announced that he was entering the NCAA transfer portal after last season. As a true freshman the former 5-star prospect was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year and led the Crimson Tide with 107 total tackles.

It turns out that reaction was more than fitting following a story that Nick Saban told about his former player Saturday morning with College Gameday on hand for Indiana at Ohio State, where Downs is having an outstanding sophomore season with the Buckeyes.

“This guy is one of the most complete people that I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach,” Saban said. “He’s a great person, a great student and he’s a phenomenal football player, great competitive spirit and his competitive IQ. How he responds on the field, he acts instinctively, I mean, it’s in the top tier of all players of all time.

“The one thing about Caleb that I have to tell you, I just don’t know if I can trust him. We had a rule last year because I didn’t want to cuss in the meetings. And I was trying to — set a good example. So every time I cussed in the meeting, and I was always in the DB meeting, I had to pay five bucks. Well, Caleb was the guy holding the cash. Well, there’s about $500 in there (by the end). I don’t know what happened to the cash.”

Saban was slated to make more than $11 million last season so he could obviously afford it. When the show profiled Downs the All-American candidate revealed that he left Alabama only because Saban retired from coaching.

Meanwhile, Saban made a public about-face regarding the place that gave him the most trouble as Alabama's head coach, Jordan-Hare Stadium. He was 5-4 there with the Crimson Tide, including the famous Kick Six play in 2013.

"I would be alerting Texas A&M because in my opinion, in 17 years, going to Auburn, playing in Jordan-Hare, that place is haunted," Saban said. "I guarantee it. The way we lost games and the way we won games there, it's unbelievable. Kick Six and then the Gravedigger last year? I'm telling you, the place is haunted."

Saban still picked Texas A&M to win the game. So did everyone else, including guest selector Justin Fields, except for Kirk Herbstreit.

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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