Nick Saban still a fan of 'deez nuts' jokes
Generally stern and stoic in front of the camera, Nick Saban rarely shows off his humorous side. The head coach might provide a sly quip to a reporter every now and then, but for the most part, his jokes to players and coaches are made in private.
Tuesday, Jordan Battle provided a rare peek behind the curtain as he revealed one of Saban’s go-to lines.
The moment, which was equal parts shocking and hilarious, began when the starting safety was asked about his head coach’s favorite sayings. Instead of reaching into Saban's depth of wisdom, Battle went another route.
“He has so many, but there are a few I like,” Battle started innocently enough. “He’s always talking about ‘touch deez’ or, you know, ‘suck on deez,’ all that.”
You heard that right, perhaps the best head coach in college football history is delivering "deez nuts" jokes to his players during practice.
Saban’s fondness of middle-school humor isn’t new. In 2019, former Alabama running back Josh Jacobs revealed that the head coach commonly used the joke during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.
“He likes to do a lot of 'deez nuts' jokes,” Jacobs said during the interview. “It’s funny because I haven’t heard one of them since like middle school, but when I went to college Saban used to do it a lot.”
A surprised Dan Patrick then asked Jacobs to provide an example.
“One day I caught like five passes in a row,” Jacobs recalled. “He was like, ‘Hey Josh, if you want to hold all them balls, hold deez.’ I said, ‘What, Coach?’ I sat there for a second and I was like, ‘Did he really just say that?’”
Saban later confirmed Jacobs’ story during his own appearance on the Dan Patrick Show a year later.
“Well, I like to have fun with the players. I think it’s probably good that they see you every now and then in a little bit different light,” Saban said at the time. “Since I’m a defensive coach and I probably get on the defensive players a little bit more ferociously. It’s a little easier for me to be light-hearted with the offensive players.
“And, you know, there’s some guys on your team you just love, like Josh Jacobs, Tua, Henry Ruggs. We’ve had a lot of really good players on offense that have great personalities and great work ethic and you just love them – and those are the kind of guys I usually pick out, do all the teasing stuff.”
No. 1 Alabama (2-0) won’t have too much time for jokes this week as it prepares for its SEC opener at No. 11 Florida (2-0) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. However, it’s still refreshing to know Saban isn't serious all the time.
