Alabama players still get kick out of Nick Saban's 'deez nuts' jokes

It has been well established that Alabama head coach Nick Saban loves a good “deez nuts” joke. Much to the surprise of fans who see him screaming on the sideline each Saturday, the legendary coach does have a sense of humor.

According to his players, Saban is back to his old tricks with a broader audience than before. Junior safety Jordan Battle shared the latest on the running joke during a Tuesday press conference.

“He has so many [quips], but there are a few I like,” Battle told reporters. “He’s always talking about ‘touch deez’ or ‘suck on deez’ or all that.”

Deez 🥜 😂 https://t.co/bOf864xuR7 pic.twitter.com/adwkwRZIyU

— Alabama Crimson Tide | BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) September 14, 2021

While the joke was originally reserved as playful trash talk with offensive players during practice, it appears Saban is branching out to have more fun with the defense. Keeping practice light-hearted sometimes can be important over the course of a long season, especially at a school with the expectations of Alabama.

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The start date on Saban’s “deez nuts” jokes remains unclear but they were first brought to the public’s eye courtesy of former Alabama running back Josh Jacobs. During a pre-draft interview with radio host Dan Patrick, Jacobs shared his favorite story about Saban’s light side, rarely seen by the public.

“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 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 it.

“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.”