Nick Saban is one of the winningest coaches in college football history, and even his presence is enough to intimidate young recruits. Eli Owens is one of those recruits, and he spoke with the Knoxville News Sentinel about his experience at Alabama and, specifically, meeting Saban.

“[Nick Saban] was the person who offered me,” Owens told Toyloy Brown III of the Sentinel. “He’s a great guy. He’s as scary as he looks on TV. You know, the fact that he believes in me is really nice. He just listed off a lot of things like good hands, great speed, balance, body control, just like the super, super little things that only a coach like that would get.”

Owens is the No. 4 prospect in Tennessee and the No. 10 athlete in the country for the 2025 class, according to 247Sports Composite.

The four-star recruit plays both tight end and linebacker, and has offers from Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee. He went to Alabama's junior day on Jan. 28, which is where he received the offer, per Brown.

“It was cool in the moment when it happened. It's almost surreal to the point, but looking back on it, there's a lot of people that want what I’m fortunate enough to have,” Owens said about being offered by Alabama Football.

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“So the amount of work that I'm gonna have to put in is just gonna have to exceed what I already put in. I’m gonna have to do what I can do every day, you know, whether that be on the basketball court working on stuff that won't get me perfectly ready for specific football drills or just being out on the field.”

Eli Owens is excited about a potential opportunity with Nick Saban and Alabama Football, and had a lot of praise for the school.

“Everything's cool down there,” he explained. “Facilities is great, campus is amazing, the coaches really make you feel like you're at home, and one thing led to another, I got offered.”

The 6-foot-2, 226-pounder currently attends Alcoa High School in Alcoa, TN.