re: Tide Football Thread in honor of TidalSurge

Very well could have happened. Exactly as you said.
And Downs still goes to Ohio state

I guess people misconstrue a statement they don't want to hear, with something that is derogatory to Saban...

My main point is: Saban is trying to give the kids fair advice, not lie to them to convince them to stay. I strongly believe that if Saban feels that a player's best opportunity is elsewhere, he will tell them. This has always been his approach.

Yeah, I do t think you’ll find a bunch of people to agree with you that it’s likely Saban told Downs to go to Ohio state or somewhere else.
He would have told Malachi the same.
Are you saying Malachi might have told Saban to frick off. He’s staying at bama

Ok

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Robot Santa

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So let me make sure I understand:

I claim Saban is trying to give these young men the best advice possible for their future, and your interpretation of that is:

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encouraging players to transfer

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By you own logic, Saban must have kneecapped himself all the times he didn't promise recruits immediate playing time...

I'm assuming you can't put 2-2 together, so let me explain:

I believe Saban may have told him that he has great opportunity anywhere he wants to play, and that the best DB coach in the country is.... insert location.

I believe this, purely based off Downs decision to enter the portal. Neither of us know what Saban's advice is to each individual, but for everyone to assume he's just trying to convince people to stay because its UA... you're bias.

Completely made-up example: if Proctor had a sick family member up north, and needed to move closer to home to help care for them, do you think Saban will convince him to stay at UA? No, that's obtuse.

This is meaningless, like approx. 11,000 of your other posts. Share an opinion, have a valid point, or log off

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I wouldn't be surprised if Saban told Downs that his best opportunity for development lies elsewhere.

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Just doesn't make sense to me to make that assumption. I would assume Caleb was talking to his family, other "representatives of schools" about how he would be used and about NIL deals" and possibly the coaching staff about where they are in the coaching hire. It just does not follow that he would be having a Convo with Saban about going elsewhere.

Especially because this was the supposed convo when he retired.

“I encouraged them to continue to do the things that they’ve always done to be successful. And one of the things I encouraged the team to do was, you guys all need to play for each other. They’ll hire a really good coach here, you’ll have good coaches. You’ll learn more things from more, different people that can enhance your development and you guys gotta in that and believe in that and play for each other and I’m going to be here,” Saban said. “I’m going to be here for you, I’m going to have a presence. I’m going to stay in Tuscaloosa. They’re giving me an office in the stadium. And I said, ‘I can get on your butt from there just like I can from on the field.'”

I just don' t see that shifting to, honestly these guys who DeBoer are looking at really aren' t it, your best chance for development elsewhere is here, and he jumps in the portal. You could be right but man it seems like a stretch. I think there are a number of conversations that makes sense for Caleb to have the night before, I just in no one way envision that being one of them.