An eighth grader became famous overnight after his picture with OG coach Nick Saban went viral in 2017. But the best part comes now! The kid we mentioned earlier is Jaheim Oatis, now a defensive tackle for Alabama. Long story short, when Jaheim was still in his junior year, he went to a summer camp in Alabama. There, he met someone he now calls his favorite coach, Nick Saban.

Saban was amazed by the size of this kid and extended an offer to him to join Alabama. That day, Jaheim was over 11th. However, in today’s scenario, he plays as the defensive tackle for Alabama. But wait, there’s more to his story. Just a few months ago, he caught attention for his increasing weight. At the same time, his mother has something to say about his weight gain.

The life of Jaheim Oatis beyond the field

it helped him achieve his target.

Despite this, he would still shine on the field, and he also mentions that he feels lighter and faster after weight loss. Nick Saban, who showcased faith in him, also praises his efforts towards his goal. A few months ago, Jaheim’s ankle got hurt during a game and Saban posted about the same, saying that Oatis “should be OK.” The attention towards Jaheim’s health and progress shows that they share a pretty nice relationship. The young talent who got recognized too soon has proved himself on the field with his striking performances. Let’s look at his stats and life on the field till now. 

High school and prospects

The journey started when he used to play at Columbia High School in Mississippi, where he had an interesting career graph. In his senior year, he recorded 29 tackles and one sack. After looking at his performance, he was chosen to play in the 2022 Under Armour All-American game. The native of Mississippi was ranked five stars by Prepstar. Coming out of Columbia, Jaheim says, Howdy! To the fans after a massive weight loss ahead of his enrollment with Alabama.

After completing high school, he joins Alabama on the defensive line. During his debut season, he got a starting job and was counted among the freshmen on the all-American senior team. He got to play in 13 games but missed out on the USF contest due to an ankle injury. In total, he scored 26 tackles. On top of that, he was named to the Outland Trophy Watch list which shows the nation’s top interior lineman’s list. Not only that, he was praised as one of the defensive players of the week by the Alabama staff. Are we on the same page as Nick Saban? If yes, then all the Alabama fans are going to be crazy over him after this season.