When Nick Saban announced his retirement in January 2024, Alabama players had a 30-day transfer portal open. A slew of Crimson Tide players opted to enter – including Caleb Downs, who committed to Ohio State.

Nick Saban's retirement as Alabama's head football coach had a major chain reaction that led to many talented players hitting the transfer portal last January. One star defection opened up about that choice on Saturday.

Legendary coach Nick Saban said on "College GameDay" that "nobody's gonna remember" Ohio State lost to Michigan if the Buckeyes win a national title.

Ohio State QB Julian Sayin discussed his brief tenure with Alabama, and leaving after Nick Saban retired and Kalen DeBoer took over.

While there is still one more step to that process, Saban's remarks appear to already ring true for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard celebrates after winning the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on Friday in Arlington, Texas.

Former Alabama football players preparing for the national championship with Notre Dame and Ohio State remembered hearing the news of Nick Saban's retirement.

In his rookie season, Nick Saban has safely circumvented the garbage pile of failed TV sports analysts once ticketed for stardom.

Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban has been high on the Ohio State Buckeyes since the College Football Playoff began. Saban, who blasted some Ohio State fans for their fury over the team's 13-10 loss to hated rival Michigan on Nov.

For Georgia native and former star Alabama safety Caleb Downs, Monday night's national title game in Atlanta is a big one. Just days before playing Notre Dame to cap off his first season as an Ohio State Buckeye, however, he briefly went into some detail on transferring away from the Crimson Tide after Nick Saban's retirement.

Saban doesn't appear to want that responsibility, but that didn't stop Kelly from being the latest to float him for the job. He added three other names as options: former Stanford coach David Shaw, former Washington and Boise State coach Chris Petersen and former Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith.

In a changing college football landscape, power seems to be shifting, too. The Big Ten is to thank for the SEC watching a title game in its own backyard from afar. Ohio State and Oregon met in the 2014 CFP championship, with the Buckeyes emerging victorious in the first season of the four-team era.