Nick Saban

It's safe to say Caleb Downs caught the attention of the college football world when he decided to leave Alabama and enter the transfer portal before ultimately landing at Ohio State.

The safety spoke to reporters for the first time since choosing the Buckeyes over Georgia and others, and he revealed he received 102 calls within the first seven or eight hours after entering the portal.

While he answered approximately 80 of them, his decision largely came down to the Buckeyes and Bulldogs, and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and secondary coach Tim Walton seemed to make the difference.

"I just love the program here," Downs said. "I love Coach Walton and love what the people had to say around here. I believe in Coach Day, and I believe in this team."

He also said name, image and likeness opportunities were not the driving force in his decision.

"At the end of the day, I love playing football," Downs said. "And that's what I'm here to do. I'm not here to make money or do anything like that. I know there's a lot of opportunities here in terms of the city of Columbus, but at the end of the day, I'm here to help this team win football games and I'm here to do my best to try to develop."

While Day, Walton, safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles all made an in-home visit with Downs after he entered the portal, he likely wouldn't be at Ohio State if legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban didn't retire. After all, he chose the Crimson Tide over the Buckeyes as a high school prospect and clearly still appreciates Saban.

"It was a huge surprise walking into that meeting and him saying that," Downs said of the retirement. "My heart dropped, for sure. But at the end of the day, if that's what he felt was best for him, I love him for it and that's what he needed to do."

Alabama's loss is Ohio State's gain, and the Downs commitment was one of the highlights in what has turned into an excellent offseason for the Scarlet and Gray.

They also added Crimson Tide quarterback Julian Sayin and offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin in the portal. Throw in former Ole Miss star running back Quinshon Judkins and former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard, and the Buckeyes made some critical transfer additions.

They also maintained a number of key members from last year's team, including running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, cornerback Denzel Burke, and safety Lathan Ransom.

The Downs and Ransom pairing at safety could be the best in the nation considering Pro Football Focus noted the latter allowed the lowest passer rating in coverage last season at 19.8 while the former was the SEC Freshman of the Year with 107 tackles, four passes defended, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

It is championship-or-bust for Ohio State entering the 2024 campaign, and the addition of Downs is a major reason for optimism among Buckeyes fans.

After the retirement of longtime head coach Nick Saban, Alabama has lost another commitment from a highly touted prospect.

Per Hayes Fawcett of On3.com, edge rusher Zion Grady said he has decommitted from the Crimson Tide. Grady is a 5-star prospect and ranked as the No. 1 edge rusher in the country in 247Sports' composite.

Per ESPN's Tom VanHaaren, Grady is the sixth member of the 2025 class to decommit from Alabama following Saban's retirement, joining defensive end Javion Hilson, offensive linemen Mason Short and Dontrell Glover, wide receiver Jaime Ffrench and defensive lineman Antonio Coleman. Also, 2024 5-star receiver Ryan Williams decommitted from the team on the same day as Saban's retirement.

Newly hired Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer is now left with just two commitments in the 2025 class. Alabama has also lost 24 scholarship players to the transfer portal this offseason.

A 6'4", 225-pound edge from Charles Henderson High School in Troy, Alabama, Grady had been committed to Alabama since November. He chose the Crimson Tide over Auburn, Florida State and Georgia, among others.

247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins describes Grady as "an uber-productive pass rusher that wins primarily with speed and finesse" who "should be viewed as a potential impact player on Saturdays with NFL upside if he can keep progressing."

"Has operated primarily out of a two-point stance since he was a freshman in one of Alabama's higher classifications and found plenty of success, totaling 34 sacks through 30 varsity games," Ivins added about Grady. "Tends to stun opposing tackles with his quick first step and is able to get off blocks with a limber upper half. Owns a few go-to moves, but an expanded menu is only going to make him more dangerous on the edge. Flashes good range and will make stops in pursuit."

Now that Grady has reopened his recruitment, he will likely be one of the most sought-after prospects in the coming months.

Alabama lost another 5-star recruit on Sunday after wide receiver Jaime Ffrench decommitted from the Crimson Tide, per On3's Hayes Fawcett.

Ffrench is the second 5-star wide receiver to decommit from Alabama since legendary head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement on Wednesday. The Tide also lost Ryan Williams on Saturday.

Ffrench, who hails from Jacksonville, Florida, is considered to be the No. 11 player nationally, the No. 3 wide receiver and the No. 2 player in the state of Florida, according to 247Sports composite.

Before committing to Alabama, Ffrench also considered Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State.

Along with Ffrench and Williams, Alabama has also lost a handful of players to the transfer portal already, like tight end Amari Niblack, who announced his departure on Sunday. The Tide will look to retain some key players, but the decomittments and transfers were bound to happen with Saban's departure.

Luckily for Tide fans, Alabama has a new high-level coach leading it. The Tide hired former Washington head coach Kalen Deboer on Friday just days after Saban retired. Deboer lost just three games during his time at Washington, losing last week's College Football Playoff title game to Michigan.

Deboer has big shoes to fill, but he'll be looking to keep Saban's tradition of success alive.

Alabama tight end Amari Niblack is planning to enter the transfer portal, he told Hayes Fawcett of On3.com.

In 14 appearances with the Crimson Tide in 2023, Niblack hauled in 20 receptions for 327 yards and four touchdowns. His decision to enter the portal comes after legendary head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement on Wednesday.

Alabama hired former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer to replace him on Friday, although it appears that Niblack is still looking for a change of scenery.

Not only is DeBoer replacing Saban, but former Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is reportedly heading to Alabama as well (per ESPN's Chris Low). In all likelihood, this means that Tommy Rees, last season's offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide, is heading elsewhere.

Niblack is the second offensive playmaker to leave the program after Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond entered the transfer portal and committed to Texas on Sunday. Bond told ESPN's Pete Thamel that it was a "business decision" and that Saban's retirement was "100 percent" the reason behind his transfer.

The former head coach was complimentary of Niblack throughout the regular season, discussing his improvements during the year with reporters on Oct. 4.

"He's doing great," Saban said, per Austin Hannon of Sports Illustrated. "He's a really good receiver. He's improved as a blocker. This year, his confidence and knowledge of the offense and what he's doing, how to do it, why it's important to do it that way is so much better, and I think it's starting to show up in how productive he is on the field as a player."

Niblack was a 4-star recruit who ranked as the No. 17 prospect from the state of Florida, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Isaiah Bond is going from one College Football Playoff team to another.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported the former Alabama wide receiver transferred to Texas on Sunday. Bond told Thamel it was a "business decision" and "100 percent" driven by former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban's decision to retire, which opened up a 30-day transfer window for players on the current roster.

"Just like the business world, you make the best decision for your company," Bond said. "My company right now is my draft stock. I feel like I'm putting myself in position to increase that and have better draft stock."

He also pointed to his relationship with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and the return of Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers as factors in his destination.

"He's a great big-time pocket passer quarterback," Bond said of Ewers. "He's a top pick in the draft next year. I'm also going to be a top pick. It's going to be a good duo."

This is quite the loss for Alabama, as nobody on the 2023 team had more receptions than Bond's 48. He also finished with 668 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

One fallout from Saban's retirement was the risk of losing players in this exact fashion. Bond was the first Alabama player to enter his name into the portal following the coach's departure and likely won't be the last one to leave with multiple other players having already done the same.

Bond didn't just leave the Crimson Tide, he stayed in the SEC with his decision to join Texas.

The Longhorns are joining the conference in 2024, although they will not face Alabama in their first season in the new league unless they both reach the SEC Championship Game. They still have a challenging slate that includes matchups against Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas A&M.

Having a proven wide receiver like Bond will help them navigate that schedule.

His biggest moment of the 2023 campaign came when he hauled in a desperation throw from Jalen Milroe on 4th-and-goal from the Auburn 31-yard line for what proved to be the winning touchdown in the final seconds of the Iron Bowl.

Even with Bond leaving, it is a moment that will forever live in Alabama lore.

Now he will look to make memories like that for his new fanbase on a team that should compete for a spot in the 12-team CFP with Ewers returning.

As for Alabama, new head coach Kalen DeBoer will likely have to deal with some of these departures as the offseason continues. However, he built a winner at Washington and has the tradition and resources of the Crimson Tide behind him as he looks to do the same at his new job.

NFL Films cameras caught Miami Dolphins quarterback (and former Alabama star) Tua Taovailoa's shock to news that his former Crimson Tide head coach, Nick Saban, was retiring.

Tagovailoa and Saban enjoyed tremendous success together in the late 2010s.

Tagovailoa came off the bench in the 2017 national championship to lead Alabama to a 26-23 overtime win over Georgia. He then followed that up by winning the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards alongside consensus All-American honors in 2018. That 'Bama team made the national title before losing to Clemson.

Tagovailoa threw for 33 touchdown passes in nine games in 2019 before suffering a serious hip injury (among other ailments) against Mississippi State, ending his season.

For his career, Tagovailoa led Alabama to a 22-2 record in his 24 starts. He amassed 96 scores (87 passing, nine rushing) in 32 total games played.

Obviously, Tagovailoa and Saban have a deep connection, and fans will get to see more of the quarterback's response on next Tuesday's episode of HBO's Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins. That game will cover the preparation and aftermath of the Dolphins' upcoming AFC Wild Card matchup at the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.