Nick Saban and Alabama on Wednesday landed a signature from the country’s top safety recruit in Caleb Downs. Downs pledged to the Crimson Tide in June and considered Georgia and Ohio State before locking things in on the first day of the Early Signing Period, and he is scheduled to enroll in January.

Now, the Hoschton, GA product, a star at Mill Creek High School and Alabama’s highest-rated recruit in the 2023 cycle, is headed to Tuscaloosa. He totaled 83 tackles and 5 interceptions as a senior along with 10 passes defended. That’s on top of the 20 rushing touchdowns he totaled as a running back for the Hawks as he took 57 carries for 389 yards.

“I just think he’s the right kind of person,” Saban said during his Early Signing Period press conference discussing the day’s signees. “He’s got leadership qualities that are hard to come by. And the guy’s really got a lot of talent, physically, to be able to develop into something special.”

From the sounds of it, the Tide have themselves yet another star in the making at the safety spot and a player that can make an immediate impact in the defensive backfield.