Jehiem Oatis is catching strays from Alabama fans following his recent interview with On3’s Pete Nakos, where he revealed that he couldn’t get along with the new coaching staff at Alabama following legendary coach Nick Saban’s departure.
Saban, who traded being on the sidelines for getting behind the mic, was succeeded by former Washington State coach Kalen DeBoer. After five games into the 2024 season, Oatis pulled the plug and entered the transfer portal to join Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes.
Amid this, fans were unhappy with him after he pushed the blame of his departure from Tuscaloosa on the program or more specifically DeBoer’s coaching unit. On Bamasports’ Instagram page, fans poured in their thoughts.
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“Go win 5 games at Colorado,” one fan took a dig at Colorado’s 4–8 record in 2023.
“Naww he just wasn’t better than Tim Keenan and Tim Smith 😂😂” another fan believes that Oatis simply got outplayed by younger, healthier linemen who stepped up in 2024.
“Lol! Dude they got you down from the big BLOB that u were! Plus you stayed hurt! So I don’t think they didn’t mess with u but rather u didn’t mess with them,” one fan questioned Oatis’s conditioning and availability.
@jeremyward said:
“He didn’t do anything.”
Another commented:
“Colorado is a big joke!”

“They are gonna suck this year,” another said.

Not every fan went full scorched-earth. One comment tried to walk the line:
“Best of luck my boy 💯 I don’t think the new coaches were the problem tho.”

Jehiem Oatis Wanted to Play for Nick Saban Actually
During his interaction with On3, Jehiem Oatis didn’t say he won’t at all play for Alabama. He just said that when he committed to the program, Nick Saban was still the head coach. It was the dream of a defensive tackle to pad up for the legendary college football coach.
“I left Alabama because I came in with coach Saban. I took it to heart,” Oatis told On3’s Pete Nakos. “That was one of my biggest dreams: To play in college football for coach Saban and win a ring. When I heard he was leaving — nobody saw it coming.”
At Colorado, Oatis will get to learn under the tutelage of football greats, including coach Deion Sanders, Warren Sapp and others. During the interview, he said that he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I feel like it’s beneficial for me, and I feel like I can give a lot of help to this season,” Oatis added. “And I will have a coach I can depend on and a position coach leading me the right way.”
Catch Oatis in action when Colorado takes the football field on Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech.
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