Ryan Day’s shot at Alabama with Caleb Downs claim

The 2026 college football season has yet to begin, but the Ohio State Buckeyes appear to have already scored a win at the expense of the Alabama Crimson Tide — sort of.

Before the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday, Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day was asked about his impression of Buckeyes defensive back and NFL draft aspirant Caleb Downs. Day was ready for the question, apparently, responding to it initially with a subtle shot at Crimson Tide, with former Alabama head coach Nick Saban beside him.

“I think the first thing that surprised me, when Caleb came to Ohio State was that he was a mess. I don’t know what they were doing at Alabama,” Day said, leaving the rest of the ESPN College Gameday crew laughing.

You can watch the interaction here:

.@KirkHerbstreit: “How would you try to quantify what [Caleb Downs] meant?”

Ryan Day: “I think the first thing that surprised me, when Caleb came to Ohio State was that he was a mess. I don’t know what they were doing at Alabama.” 😅 pic.twitter.com/TUG78s5RQu

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) April 23, 2026

Downs, of course, played his freshman season with Alabama before leaving Tuscaloosa and transferring to the Big Ten to play for Day and Ohio State football. He had a great year with Alabama in 2023, even leading the SEC with 70 solo tackles to go with two interceptions across 14 games. He left Alabama following Saban’s retirement and then helped the Buckeyes win the national championship in the 2024 campaign. Downs played for another season, his junior year, with the Buckeyes before declaring for the NFL draft.

Day, however, made sure to give Saban props, saying that Downs was “coached by the best” before coming over to Columbus.

Downs is expected to be picked early at the 2026 edition of the NFL draft.