Nick Saban raves about Caleb Downs' play as freshman for Alabama

Caleb Downs impressed right away for Alabama, something Nick Saban couldn’t help but notice in his freshman defensive back.

He’s been a key to Alabama’s defensive resurgence lately this season. Not only that, Downs will be key in defending LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Saban basically called Downs the type of player who’s been playing at a high level for years in the biggest spots.

“Well, you know, Caleb Downs is mature beyond his years,” Saban said on College GameDay. “You know, he’s a football junkie. He comes from a football family, his dad’s a coach, you know, he’s a student of the game. He understands offense, he understands adjustments. It’s very, very seldom do you get a freshman that’s that far along in terms of their knowledge in the game, and he can apply them to the game and he does not get frustrated. 

“You know, when something doesn’t go right or he makes a mistake, he just keeps playing. He’s a great competitor. He’s physical. He’s tough. He’s got really good ball skills. So this guy is going to be a great player.”

Over the course of his freshman campaign, Downs has 63 total tackles, 39 solo tackles, one forced fumble, two interceptions and one pass deflection.

As a member of the Class of 2023, Downs was a five-star recruit out of Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 1 safety in the class and the No. 5 overall prospect in the class.

Nick Saban responds to Terrion Arnold’s claims about Caleb Downs

When Terrion Arnold joined On3’s Andy Staples for a wide-ranging interview, he claimed Caleb Downs was the player most similar to Nick Saban. The freshman safety has been a force on the Crimson Tide defense and, according to Arnold, shares plenty of characteristics with Saban.

During his press conference Wednesday, Saban responded in a way only he can.

“You can ask Terrion what his opinion is about a lot of things,” Saban joked.

Saban offered a similar sentiment about Downs’ personality, but joked he’s not sure if those traits apply to him.

“I don’t evaluate the personalities of the player in the room,” Saban said. “I like Caleb Downs, I think the’s got a lot good characteristics as a person. He’s got a great, competitive attitude about how he goes about things, how he prepares. He’s very serious. He pays attention to detail, really has a lot of pride in performance.

“I don’t know if anybody could say that about me, so I’m not comparing myself to him at all. But I like the intangibles that he plays with and that he has as a person.”