New Alabama commit likens Nick Saban to Moses, calls him the 'God of College Football'

Casey Poe, a four-star offensive lineman out of Lindale, Texas, had an opportunity to play big-time college football at multiple schools.

Specifically, Oklahoma, Clemson, LSU, Auburn, Georgia and Texas Tech all had the opportunity to come away with his commitment. He took official visits to Georgia, Clemson, Texas Tech and Auburn and was scheduled to take one to Oklahoma in late July, but in the end, it was an official visit he took to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in late June that likely sealed the deal for his recruitment.

That, and the fact that head coach Nick Saban is undisputedly college football royalty.

“I can remember last year when I went to Alabama camp in the summer and when I went back for the spring, each time I remember as soon as Nick Saban walks in, you get a buzz. You can feel it from the other side of their indoor (facility) … it’s like Moses parting the Red Sea," Poe told Sam Spiegelman of On3. "He walks in and people split. There’s a hush that falls over everybody. His reputation and everything he’s built falls into that moment. He isn’t necessarily a loud person; his voice isn’t booming, but it was so quiet that you could be 100 yards away and still hear him.”

At nearly 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, Poe projects as an interior offensive lineman in college. He's a pretty big deal as a recruit, too. According to the composite recruiting rankings of 247Sports, the four-star is the No. 4 interior offensive line recruit in the 2024 class. For what it's worth, On3 is even higher on Poe. They rank him as the No. 1 IOL in the class as well as a Top 40 recruit nationally.

One gets the sense that even if he was the greatest college football recruit of all time, though, Poe would still be in awe of Saban – the seven-time national champion.

“He’s like the God of College Football when he walks in the room,” Poe said. “It’s easy to see it with all the success he’s had, the coaches he has have a very high standard and his presence is like an aura – it’s something that breeds success and the competition to be successful. It’s been a really cool thing to see in person.”