Derrick Henry on the future for running backs, Titans to Baltimore Ravens, what a Super Bowl win means for his legacy, playing with Lamar Jackson, meaning behind the color purple, best Alabama running back, lessons from Nick Saban and his family support

In one of the biggest NFL off-season moves, Derrick Henry said farewell to the Tennessee Titans and became a Baltimore Raven, which was a bittersweet move for the superstar running back, but one he is embracing and understands what winning a championship would mean to him, his family, his football legacy and shares how wearing the color purple is a full circle moment. Derrick Henry’s grandmother took care of him for most of his life, so when he arrived in Baltimore wearing a purple suit, her favorite color, it was more than just signing a contract it was a sign from above that he was right he was supposed to be, doing what he loves while paying a tribute to to the woman who raised him and lead him to where he is today. Sitting with Ryan, Channing and Fred to talk about his iconic career and the moments that shaped the player, the man and the father he is, from high school records to a Heisman Trophy at Alabama, Derrick Henry has excelled at every level of the sport, but it’s not lost on him how hard the journey has been. In a world where the running back position has been recently questioned and even devalued financially by NFL owners, the guys discuss if it’s an end of the era of old-school running back style and the future of the position. Although Derrick is unwavering about his contributions and the importance of the position to any NFL contender, he admits that if he had a son, he wouldn’t let him play running back. In a surprising statement, the guys get into the why’s and perspective of the position. Continuing to defy the odds and running his way to NFL history books, Derrick has earned the reputation of one of the best to ever do it, which stems back to his high school days of 57 carries a game into his historic Alabama career as a Heisman winner and lessons from Nick Saban while cementing himself as a top running back among a power list of some of the best to ever do it as Ryan, Channing and Fred undoubtedly point to him as the best back to play at Alabama, although Derrick reluctantly accepts the credit. The NFL 2nd round pick to the Tennessee Titans had a slow start playing behind Pro Bowler DeMarco Murray for two seasons, but when Derrick finally got his opportunity to become the starter, it wasn’t a straight line to success and his preparation lacked what it needed for him to be where he wanted to be on the NFL level. In 2018, all that changed as he sparked one of the best 5-year runs of any player and tributes his new found motivation and success to spotting butterflies at practice, which are his grandmother’s favorite, giving him the extra motivation he needed and reminder that he was morphing into who he wanted to become on and off the field. In a funny back and forth between Ryan and Derrick, the guys talk about if Ryan could stop Derrick in certain moves and of course Channing can’t help but voice his commentary on a Ryan vs Derrick on field scenario. Humble and hardworking, Derrick Henry turns into a machine on the field, running through, around or over any defender in his way. He has gone through dark times at different stages in his life, coming out stronger from each one. Although his grandmother passed away in 2016, he still carries the memories and lessons she instilled in him. Looking ahead to 2024 season, Derrick knows that winning a Super Bowl is most important to him and means the world and by joining the Ravens, he believes he is on the right squad to make a championship run as the Ravens are a team who’s hungry and has one of the best Quarterbacks in the game at the helm to lead the team. Derrick is eager to get working with the team, and do whatever he needs to contribute to make that Lombardi dream a reality. New episodes drop on Tuesdays at 12 p.m. ET and Fridays at 3:30 p.m ET on YouTube, with audio available on all streaming platforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  Thinking about refreshing the carpet in your home? Now's the time to do it. For a limited time at The Home Depot, get 10% off installed carpet projects on trusted brands like LifeProof, LifeProof with Pet Proof Technology, Home Decorator's Collection, and Traffic Master. Plus, with installation starting at just 49 cents per square foot, upgrading your space is more affordable than ever at The Home Depot. Offer valid September 24, 2026 through October 4, 2026. Exclusions apply. For licenses, see homedepot.com/license numbers.

• 0:30Ryan Clark?

  What up, dawg?

• 0:32Fred Taylor?

  He bout to look very little. I'm trying to run down the pipe to tackle that. What's up, man?

• 0:37Ryan Clark?

  You good?

• 0:37Fred Taylor?

  Fred, Fred.

• 0:39Ryan Clark?

  And Fred's a big man.

• 0:40Fred Taylor?

  Bro. Bro, that dude's a monster. I just showed him the photo. It was September 28, 2012. Yup, towering over your ass. Uli vs. Glaze Day. My son KT, that was KT's birthday. And he had just got the state rushing record. Emmett sent him a ball and all of that. So he's excited. I get to go up against Derrick Henry. They say he the best. I think I'm the best. Who's gonna go to what school? He had 360 on 30-something carries and six touchdowns. KT had like 222 on 30-something touchdowns. They blew him out 42 to 6. KT was hot. He was hot, man. It's been a while. It's been a while.

• 1:44Ryan Clark?

  Man, welcome to the pivot, man. Congratulations too, brother.

• 1:47Fred Taylor?

  Appreciate it, bro.

• 1:48Ryan Clark?

  Congratulations to Freddie T, Chan, I'm RC. Bro, we've been trying to get it done.

• 1:53Fred Taylor?

  I know.

• 1:53Ryan Clark?

  For a long time.

• 1:54Fred Taylor?

  A long time.

• 1:55Ryan Clark?

  It took him to not be a Tennessee Titan anymore.

• 2:00Ryan Clark?

  To actually, to actually want to do it, man. And it was Freddie T talking about your high school stats and, you know, the things that you were able to do. Your high school was actually poo before you went there, though.

• 2:12Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, we, we wasn't good. And then it wasn't, um, because I think it first opened in like, I want to say like...

• 2:21Speaker 03

  Oh six, probably, maybe oh eight. Uh, one of my big cousins was the first class to graduate from the high school. So it was, it was like fairly new kinda.

• 2:29Fred Taylor?

  Right.

• 2:30Speaker 03

  So, you know, it was just on the up and up. So they didn't really have, you know, much people. Cause usually like people from my hometown, like my dad growing up and my aunts and cousins, they went to Ferney and the Beach, it was across the bridge. Cause we didn't have a high school. And then they built one in, um, in, in oh eight. And I was kinda sodding, cause I had a cousin that went to Bowles and he won state. And I was like, I wanna do what he did. He played, he played running back. So I was going back and forth. Then I got to Bowles and I took that test to be able to see if I can get in. I was like, no, I'm gonna go to Uly. I'm scared.

• 3:04Fred Taylor?

  You would drive from Uly to Jacksonville to go to Bow?

• 3:07Speaker 03

  Well, yeah, I was gonna do that, cause my cousin did that. His dad used to take him from, uh, from Uly to Bowles, uh, his whole high school career. And then, um, once he went there and he did what he did, I'd always go to his games. Then went to state, won state and then he went off to college. I was like, man, I wanna do the same thing. Cause he used to have us running on the beach, doing all type of stuff. Uh, when we was jits, we was little. So whenever I got a chance to go play, when I got to high school, I was like, I might wanna try out and see if I can, see if I can make it. But when they gave me that test, I was like, no, I'm gonna stay home.

• 3:35Channing Crowder?

  How far was that ride?

• 3:37Speaker 03

  That's probably like a 25 minute ride.

• 3:39Fred Taylor?

  Yeah.

• 3:40Channing Crowder?

  Every single day?

• 3:41Speaker 03

  Every single day.

• 3:41Channing Crowder?

  That, that it both ways?

• 3:43Speaker 03

  Every single day.

• 3:44Channing Crowder?

  Y'all had to make that because you wanted to make it? Like that, that was the path to make it?

• 3:49Speaker 03

  Yeah, my cousin, when he, when he started going to his dad to take him. And then, once he, you know, uh, got acquainted and started going to school, teammates, uh, classmates. I think some of us, you just gonna pick him up and like, he'll stay the night in one of their houses. And then, um, didn't go to school. But yo, we, they used to make that ride.

• 4:08Channing Crowder?

  Also too, I, I didn't introduce you. I should've said.

• 4:12Ryan Clark?

  Former Offensive Player of the Year, second all-time Tennessee Titans rushing leader, greatest running back of this era, and now Baltimore Raven Derrick Henry. I do want to start the big news, or the big thing out of the first press conference, was obviously the purple suit. You know, and you mentioned that it was your grandmother's favorite color. You hadn't worn it since she passed in 2016. You also mentioned seeing a butterfly for the first time in Dallas. You know, and your grandmother also loved butterflies. You know, that story has been told. The story I'm more interested in, because Fred talks about his grandmother all the time as well.

• 4:57Ryan Clark?

  Why was being able to represent your grandmother on that day of such a transition, and have something so familiar to hold close, important to you because of what she was to you?

• 5:10Speaker 03

  We were going back and forth on the phone with the Ravens, and we finally came to an agreement. They were like, can you come out like the next day and do a press conference on Thursday? I'm like, oh, man. I thought it was gonna be like a week, but I forgot that free agency was like that Wednesday. So then, the Ravens purple. I'm like, oh, I got the perfect suit I can wear. Because they want to wear a suit. I was like, I got the perfect suit I can wear. I wore it to my grandmother's funeral. But we in the process of moving. We just bought a new house. We about to move to a new house. Everything in boxes, and it had some stuff in storage just because our house wasn't crowded until we moved to the new house. I'm like, I gotta find that suit. I don't know where it's. It's in storage, but I gotta figure out how to find it in storage. So whenever we figured out, we got everything planned.

• 5:55Speaker 03

  I went to my storage, and I'm moving everything out of the way, trying to find it, moving stuff. The story looked crazy right now. It was organized, but now it's crazy. But I was able to find it. And I wanted to wear it to honor her because I can always remember sitting on her porch, because that's what we used to do in the morning time. Whenever she'd get up like 6 o'clock in the morning, have her coffee, and I'd ask questions about my dad, all my cousins, everybody who was raised in that house, how they all were brought up. And I asked her one day. I was like, remember what your favorite color? She was like, violet, violet purple. So I knew I was gonna be a Raven in that purple. I was like, it's a perfect match.

• 6:28Speaker 03

  I was happy that I was still able to fit it. It fit pretty right. It was still a little tight when I put it on. I just felt like it was a cool story and a cool connection being able to play on the team that has purple. And that was our favorite color. So I just wanted to, you know, honor her by telling that story. And then the butterfly situation, I mean, that's a, it's a true story. I mean, we were outside. My daughter liked playing outside in the yard and we just sitting there, we just sitting there chilling. I had a game on, on the TV on the back patio. She wanted to kick the soccer ball and I was kicking soccer ball and I just stopped and I was watching her run. And out of nowhere butterfly just start flying all around me. We ain't seen no butterflies around there at all since I've been living there. But like I said, in Tennessee, every practice I would see a butterfly.

• 7:11Speaker 03

  Anytime we're out to practice, I'll see one flies and I tell my coaches, then they start paying attention to it and we'll see one every practice. But at that particular moment, you know, right before free agency started, you know, cause it can get a little hectic. You know, you get, you can get kind of overwhelmed because you don't know what's gonna happen, how long it's gonna take or where you're gonna end up. But once I seen that butterfly, I was like, man, I'm good. Ain't no reason to be overreacting. Ain't no reason to be worried about nothing because where I'm supposed to be, I'll be. And she would just remind us of that.

• 7:37Channing Crowder?

  Like, everybody knows what you do, bro. Like, you came in with the cutoff sleeves and all. We know you a big ass dude, but why, why was Baltimore the place? Because there were all the teams would want you to run the ball for them. Why did you choose Baltimore?

• 7:53Speaker 03

  When we did the presser, like Eric Acosta said, they actually tried to trade for me. Like during the season when the trade deadline was going on. And during the whole process, you know, I was just waiting and I'm seeing rumors, like just seeing all, all type of stuff going on. So I'm like, I don't know what's gonna happen. So I'm telling my girl, I'm like, I'm about to be traded the next week, next couple of days. Cause they had traded Kevin Byard. I'm like, no, don't be out here. They trade KB.

• 8:19Speaker 03

  They're finna shit me out. And I was talking to my agent, you know, they really sound interested. Like they really want me to come there and come in, try to make an impact. So I'm like, okay, cool. Like it felt like it was, it was genuine. They really wanted me. So, but when it fell through, you know, and I end up finishing the season. And then free agency started, I was like, I mean, they're gonna be number one on my radar. Cause you know, they showing, showing love since the trade deadline. And I knew once free agency started that, you know. I want to work something out if we could, even though I'm living in Dallas. And I talked to you about it, you know, Dallas been a perfect situation as well because we lived there. We ain't got to move, but at the same time, you know, Ravens, the history of it. And then talking to Ray at the Pro Bowl, just like, you know, his passion about the organization,

• 9:04Speaker 03

  his impact there and, you know, how he talk about it. I was just like, man, that's somewhere, if I'm not in Tennessee or I don't get to go to Dallas, I'd love to be a Raven. And I'm glad it worked out. I mean, Lamar, that's no question.

• 9:18Channing Crowder?

  Yum yum, yum yum. We talked about it last night, bro. That shit, when you going across, bro, come on now.

• 9:25Speaker 03

  Say Flowers, he had a great year. We know Mark Andrews, bring, offensive line solid. I mean, they lost a couple guys, but I'm sure they'll, you know, find some guys in free agency or draft people or the people that the players already have there to fill in. And then 4-2, big, big Pat. You know, we, we, we had them on film, we highlighted him, you know, we watched him film for the playoffs. So I'm excited to, you know, be playing with him as well. He a beast, you know.

• 9:52Ryan Clark?

  Hey, that backfield is gonna have him and a 300-pound fullback in Patrick Card. That's gonna be like, I don't want to make you weigh too much. How much you weigh?

• 10:02Speaker 03

  Like, right now, I'm probably like 2/5.

• 10:04Ryan Clark?

  550 yards in the backfield.

• 10:06Speaker 05

  2/5, 2/5.

• 10:11Speaker 03

  It's a no-brainer because like even, like when I was in Tennessee and we was doing, we was doing, I'd always be like, like, who the number one team, who the number one rushing team in the league? At Boston, I'm like, ah, league, so we can never get over that hump. So I'm like, for me to be able to join that, it's like a no-brainer. Like, feel me, that's what, that's what they do. That's the, that's the bread and butter. So, you know, I just want to be adding piece to it and, you know, see where it takes us, but.

• 10:33Fred Taylor?

  Was Dallas ever like really in the, in the heavy, thick of the mix? Or you decided not to go because you weren't gonna get 22?

• 10:40Speaker 03

  No, they, they ain't, they ain't hollering at me at all.

• 10:43Ryan Clark?

  For real? Bro, that was, that was the rumor.

• 10:45Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, that was a big rumor. Then they got, well, much like Mike did for C.D., I believe Emmett would have unretired 22, you know, and, and given it to someone. Like you said, you're a Florida boy, all that other good stuff that come with it. I think it would, it would've been crazy to see you in the Dallas uniform.

• 11:03Speaker 03

  Yeah, it would've been crazy. I mean, I thought, you know, it'd have been some type of reach out, some type of, you feel me? Talks of whatever, but they never reached out. You know what I'm saying? I don't really know. I don't know too much about the organization. You know, all I know is what I hear. And just talking to my agent, they weren't really interested, which, you know, I was just like, it is what it is. Like I said earlier, I'm gonna be where I'm meant to be. And I feel like Baltimore was the perfect spot for me, so.

• 11:30Fred Taylor?

  Let's go back to Florida real quick. I mentioned Uly, population like 14,000. How did your early childhood and, you know, your family, how did that shape your football experience and your life experience?

• 11:44Speaker 03

  Yeah, I was talking to somebody the other day. I owe my family a lot, really, because growing up, I ain't never have a job. And I ain't really need to have one, because I was always in sports. Football season, I was doing football. It was baseball, I was doing baseball, basketball, and then for so long. And if my grandmother had 14 kids, 12 girls, two boys. My dad was the last kid and the last boy. She nicknamed me Shocker, because she was shocked that my dad was having a baby at the age of 16. And he was so young, and my mom was 16 as well. So, all my aunts, my dad's sisters, his older cousins, they all played a big part in my life by making sure I had everything I needed. Never had to want for anything. We ain't had much, but what we had, you know, we worked hard for it.

• 12:29Speaker 03

  And that's what I always, you know, fall back on whenever it's hard times, because I see my aunts, my mom, my dad, my grandmother do it for so long. And, you know, Uly was a small town, so, you know, if I needed a ride anywhere, you know, it was somebody right there at, you know what I'm saying, at each corner. So, yeah, man, my family's played a big part of, you know, my success and, you know, me playing sports and all the love of football and all the success I had to be focused on that and not to worry about nothing else.

• 13:00Channing Crowder?

  Your daddy was wide open. He said he got locked up 20 times, you know what I'm saying?

• 13:05Speaker 03

  Thugged out.

• 13:06Channing Crowder?

  So, that's the thing, and you and your brothers and sisters, their parents, their moms, whatever. Like, wha- what was that like? Dealing with that and then now being a star, being who you are? Tell the story of what that was, what that felt like?

• 13:21Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 13:22Channing Crowder?

  Young, and then now being the star and having to deal with it?

• 13:25Speaker 03

  I was a grandma's boy coming out the womb, so, uh, my dad's always get on to me. Anything that we did together, I'd tell my grandma. He like, "Man, stop telling your grandma everything." But I was a grandma's boy, so that's, so that's what it was. But my dad is a, uh, a big part of me playing football, 'cause any, anything I wanted to play, he was gonna pay for it. Any game I had, he was coming to. Never really missed any game but me growing up, no matter what he had going on. And at the time, you know, I didn't understand, but my dad was just trying to do everything he can to survive and provide for his kids and provide for me. But I tell you one thing, any game, any part, one a game, me the baseball game, he was there. He signed me up. He was always in my life and, you know, I appreciate my dad for everything.

• 14:07Speaker 03

  'Cause anytime, my mind a waiver anyway, when I got to college, he was like, "Man, you can do what you want to do. You can do it, you still got time." And, you know, no matter what, what go on, you know, just fall back on what you, what you know is working hard, and then eventually, everything can happen for you. When you a kid, you don't really understand what's going on. You don't really know the whole logistics of it. But at the same time, I, I knew my dad loved me, I knew my dad would do anything for me. And, uh, you know, now, being older now, he was just hustling and trying to make ends meet, to provide for what he need to provide for.

• 14:36Ryan Clark?

  Derek, as a, as a father now, and, you know, you became a father when you were established. You, you had a job, you understood different things. You ever think about how hard it had to be for your parents, being teenagers and having a child so young?

• 14:54Speaker 03

  Definitely, 'cause, you know, once I got that age, mom was always be like, "You better not, don't, don't, don't do what me and your dad did," you know? You know, I, it was, I know, you know, everything worked out, but it was hard, you know? And, um, we had a lot of, we was blessed, 'cause I had, my, my grandmother stepped up to help, to help, to help raise me. So, you know, they always told me to be careful, the older I got, and then when I move on to college, just, you know, be smart, make the right decisions, and be around the right people. And, you know, now- Not having a child now and being eight to twenty-six, having my first one and being able to have money and be able to provide, it's still hard. So that's always tell people like back in the days, you know, we think life hard now,

• 15:34Speaker 03

  but look at back then, they didn't really have much, but made made worth of what they what they had and still provided and, you know, not even knowing how much our family was struggling or what they was going through, they always made sure we was okay, no matter what. And, you know, I always tell anybody, my homeboys or my my girl, my anybody that I'm close with, like, you know, just look what your family did to get you to this point. You know, it was never easy. So anytime a adverse situation present itself, just get through it. You know what I'm saying? What don't what don't break her, you know, make her so.

• 16:10Ryan Clark?

  Well, you're a big time star. You know, you break the Russian record in Florida, which is extremely difficult in the sense that all the different stars that has come from that state, you go for twenty-five hun, twenty-five hun, twenty-five hun, some kind of way, four thousand as as a senior. I looked I looked at the carries, bro.

• 16:30Speaker 03

  Did you watch the video?

• 16:31Ryan Clark?

  I looked at the carries as well, though. Your coach should be in jail.

• 16:34Speaker 03

  Bro, did you watch the video?

• 16:35Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, but they gave him the football four hundred and sixty-two times.

• 16:39Speaker 03

  I caught I had the ball like fifty-seven times in one game.

• 16:41Ryan Clark?

  Yeah.

• 16:42Speaker 03

  I knew where the ball was going, pre-staffed. We ain't throwing no fades. Brother, the thing so crazy is like after games, like my coach be looking crazy. He be like, you all right? I'm like, what you mean? He like, he like, your body feel good, you feel good? I'm like, yeah, coach, I'm straight. But at the time, I'm thinking, we winning. I'm playing football, not thinking how crazy it is. As old I get, I'm like, I carried the ball fifty-seven. Well, what the fuck? You tripping. But we was winning, but you know what I'm saying? Yeah.

• 17:13Channing Crowder?

  See, coach was like, hey, man. He's like, this is what I know. They just won't tackle him fifty times.

• 17:17Speaker 03

  Hey, we gonna switch it up. We gonna go Derrick Wright twice.

• 17:20Channing Crowder?

  That shit's crazy.

• 17:23Fred Taylor?

  For a lot of reasons, too. You you look at, you know, you you you hear things now that teams are saying, why some team was kind of skittish and hesitant, maybe even the Cowboys, I don't know for sure. But, you know, they're questioning, you know, the amount of carries you had in your lifetime, not just the NFL, but in high school, like R.C. mentioned, in college, then in the NFL, what you've done, you know, um. 500 yards away from 10,000, so I definitely shoot you a text when you cross that.

• 17:52Speaker 03

  Appreciate it, yeah, for sure.

• 17:53Fred Taylor?

  I'll go ahead and give you love on that. But, those are the questions, and you said in your press conference, just watch the show. Now just check it out, like, I'm gonna be here. Is that motivation for you to go from one organization to the next and prove people that you still are the Heisman Trophy winner, Mr. 2,000 Yard, Mr. Player of the Year just a couple of years ago? Is that like just additional motivation? You still got it?

• 18:19Speaker 03

  I love it, and I embrace it just because of the area of football we in now. It's not like the big backs, it's not, you know, running back, you know, dependent like it used to be, like, when y'all came up and, you know, y'all were killing the league and it was just like, like, running back after running back. And I was always a big running back fan, so I watched every single one of y'all. I grew up watching you being down the street, so I embrace it because I know people are just waiting to see when it's gonna be over, like, when I'm, you know what I'm saying, not gonna be as dominant as I was, have the effect that I have, but...

• 18:54Fred Taylor?

  You just turned 30.

• 18:55Speaker 03

  Yeah, I know what I'm saying, so, yeah, I mean, I love it, and like I told them, I was like, just keep watching, because I'm gonna keep working. As long as I can do this, I'm gonna keep doing it, you know what I'm saying? I mean, like, even coming out of high school, you know, they thought I wasn't gonna play running back in college, they thought I was gonna go to defense, which, go say what they say they thought about defense, but I was gonna be like, hell nah, I wasn't gonna do it. And then, coming out of college, they didn't think I was gonna make it long in the league, I was gonna be a bust, thought I was gonna be a fullback and not have an effect in the league once I got here. And, you know, I've been still trying to prove myself, you know, ever since I stepped in the league, and that's the thing about it, is like, it don't matter what you did a year before, you still gotta prove that shit again.

• 19:40Fred Taylor?

  Right.

• 19:40Speaker 03

  And that's what I love about it, and it's a new challenge, and I'm gonna embrace it, I'm gonna work hard, and then see what happens in September, like I said.

• 19:46Fred Taylor?

  3,000 yards away from top 10 all time. Go get it.

• 19:51Speaker 03

  Yes, sir. And that's crazy, that's crazy to say.

• 19:53Fred Taylor?

  Were you born too late?

• 19:55Channing Crowder?

  Because I'm talking about LeDanian, who we played. LeDanian, Fred was a dog and all that. Like when people leaned on the run game. You know what I'm saying? Where like, yo big ass, bro, you big as hell. Like, I don't want to hit your ass. Uh, AP, played AP, them dudes like that. Like, if you were born 10 years before, would you be better than, like, would you be more respected than you are now? Because running backs ain't respected like that. But for you to do what you're doing now, you're trying, you're almost trying to bring that old school shit back.

• 20:26Speaker 03

  And that's so crazy because whenever I was, uh, coming out of high school and people was talking about position switch because how big I was and, you know, um, I'd be more effective on the defensive side. But I always fell back on watching LT, watching Freddie T, watching Ricky Williams, watching Eddin James, watching AP, watching Priest Holmes, Jamal Lewis. Started watching NFL Network as a kid. Got to see Eric Dickerson and see, he was kind of the same size. Seeing Earl Kemba run through people.

• 20:59Channing Crowder?

  Jim.

• 20:59Speaker 03

  Eddie George, watching the Titans and Jaguars battle throughout them years. And I can go on and on because I, I watched every back. So whenever people would tell me I need to switch, I would fall back on that. I'm like, man, I'm going to be like them. Because that's what I fell in love with since I was a kid. So I was like, ain't nobody going to sway me from playing running back. That's what I want to do and I'm, I'm going to be successful at it.

• 21:23Fred Taylor?

  I just want to correct Channing really quick. Not all running backs are respected. He's certainly respected and feared on the field. In the, in the front office, that's where the disrespect is.

• 21:34Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 21:34Fred Taylor?

  By some coaching staffs trying to create this by committee approach, they kind of disrespect the position. But what Derrick brings to the table, he's still phenomenal. He's still going to make you put eight, sometimes nine in the box. So in terms of respect, he still gets his respect on the field. And I think he's going to prove to everybody that he deserves that.

• 21:55Channing Crowder?

  But football wise, you got to throw 35 up now. You can't win no game at 20, bro.

• 21:59Speaker 03

  But let me say some real shit though. But if I ever have a son, my son ain't playing running back though. You feel me? Like, you know, we want to take a stance for a guy that's already coming up and already in rotation to, to make it to the league and. Be able to, you know, set something up for them. So when they come in the league and have opportunity to get paid, that they can get paid. But as far as my own son, no, he can't play running back.

• 22:21Ryan Clark?

  Hey, D, you know, you mentioned that, though, and it brings me to a year ago in the offseason, when Saquon was going through what he was going through. Jonathan Taylor was going through things and all of you guys were trying, Nick Chubb, you, y'all were all trying to figure out a way to help running backs and sort of have some of those conversations to push the position forward. When you look at the way the position is viewed, what do you think the answer is? Or is there no answer and teams are going to continue to disrespect the position?

• 22:54Speaker 03

  I understand, you know, the whole, the whole, the whole thing behind it about running backs are replaceable and anybody can fill in the position. But I feel like when you got that guy, when you got that generational talent, then I feel like their respect needs to be there. Because all we seen growing up and coming up, want to play a position, all of us were inspired by somebody that played the position. And we saw whenever they were recognized as a generational talent, they got what they were due. And we just want the same thing. And we know that kids that are looking up to us, and we wanted them to have to see that

• 23:38Speaker 03

  same thing and keep and continue that. But the game is changing, but at the end of the day, you still got to be able to run the football. You still got to be able to run the football, and that's what gets the offense going, that's what opens up everything. And I feel like Christian's done a great job by doing that this year. Saquon finally got paid. Josh got paid this year. And I feel like teams, like, they want to go away from it, but they still know you need a dog in that backfield to be able to have explosive offense and do what you want to do. So I was happy for them to see, to get their share of due. But at the same time, we just want our respect, and I feel like that's all we were trying to do last year when we was talking about it and putting light on it.

• 24:22Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, it's just a leverage game, simple mathematics. Going back to college. You were in Jacksonville. You say you watched me play. You knew I went to Florida.

• 24:30Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 24:32Fred Taylor?

  Why not? You ask. What influenced your decision to go to Bama first? And then I want to also talk about Nick Saban at some point.

• 24:40Speaker 03

  Yeah, shit, I was a Florida fan growing up. And like, whenever I came out of high school, it was just like, once, once, once Urban, once Urban left, and then whenever I was coming out of high school, Urban had left because they started recruiting me for a little bit. He ended up leaving, and then Muschamp took over.

• 24:58Fred Taylor?

  Yeah.

• 24:58Speaker 03

  And Dan Quinn was recruiting me. And the whole recruit process was smooth, you know. I was rocking with Dan Quinn. He was, he was cool as hell. And I was, I was visiting Florida a lot. And Charlie Weiss was the office coordinator at the time, too. But I don't know. And then I was visiting Georgia, and I was visiting Bama, and I was visiting Tennessee. And I don't know, it was just like, I don't know, it just ain't feel like the, the foundation was laid, and it was like set, and it just ain't feel, feel consistent. Which I still stayed in contact with them throughout the process, but I was just like, I'm gonna see what else is out there. I ended up committing to Georgia my, my junior year, because at the time, I think it was like me,

• 25:40Speaker 03

  John Theis at the time, who played tackle, office tackle at Bowls. Bryce Ramsey, who was a quarterback at Camden County, he was a quarterback there. And then Tremell Terry, I knew him from going to football camps, Nike camps. I mean, him got close. It was Trey Mathews, he played safety. We was all there, and we all, we all committed really at, at the same time. So I was like, man, I'm gonna be straight. I got my dogs. Like, we, we have a squad. And I was, and I was visiting there a lot. And then I was at Tennessee a lot, too. I visited Tennessee. So I really wanted to play in the SEC, if y'all, if y'all can see. So I wanted to play in the SEC. You know, when I, we watching games, I'm like, damn, Bama, boy, they, they running, they running.

• 26:22Speaker 03

  They running through people like they going crazy and they were just like, you could see the takeover was happening like Coach Saban was getting dogs and them boys was just balling. And then watching T Rich being from Florida, being from Pensacola. I was like, man, he from Florida, he doing that? Like, you know, sometimes you like, should I go too far away from home? But like, once I see him doing that, I'm like, man, I don't, I don't know. And then I ended up decommitting from Georgia my senior year and opened my recruitment back up. And then after that, it was just like, I'm going to Bama. Because Coach Saban came to see me like my freshman year of high school. And then, you know, so he was recruiting me for a long time. So whenever I committed to Georgia, he was like, man, I didn't came to see you. I've been, I've been staying connected with you. Like, what's going on?

• 27:07Speaker 03

  I'm like, I'm like, Coach, that's just what I wanted to do. But we ended up, you know, we still stayed in contact and I ended up committing. And I did an official visit to Bama and Tennessee and ended up deciding to go to Bama.

• 27:18Ryan Clark?

  Question about that, though. Right, I was, wasn't recruited like y'all. But you were committed to Georgia.

• 27:25Speaker 03

  Mm-hmm.

• 27:26Ryan Clark?

  You end up going to Bama and you get to Bama and you're a five-star, leading rusher of all time in high school football. But you don't get there and become the guy. And you got homesick.

• 27:41Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 27:41Ryan Clark?

  Was there ever a time, or how difficult was that time for you as a freshman in Alabama? And what made you stay?

• 27:49Speaker 03

  Yeah, you know, so funny is when we were talking about the carries, 57 carries and all that. And really going to Bama was like my first time really having adversity in football. So like, being young, not really understanding what's really going on. Like COVID, like Coach Saban say, the process. So I wasn't really like, I didn't really understand. All I knew was like, hey, give me the ball. Let me get busy and then you feel me? That's how it always was at Ulysses. When I got to Bama, it was just like, I don't know. It was like an adjustment because they don't care. Five star, two star, three star. You can get an opportunity.

• 28:31Speaker 03

  And like, I was just like, I just thought everything was a goal. Like it wasn't usually like, I'm gonna get the ball. I'm gonna start and not really understanding the fundamentals of the game. Like, gotta study. Let it translate from the meetings to the field. Know the ins and outs of the game, not just running the ball. Pass protection, knowing defenses and doing all that. Really being locked in because I thought it was just football. You go home, have fun, come back and do all that. But it's more to it. It's a job and that's how you gotta approach it. Because Coach Sabre, he was running the program just like the NFL. And it took me a little while to understand that. But once, you know, I got a grip of it, then I was like, okay, okay, I got it.

• 29:16Speaker 03

  Because my running back coach, Coach Burns, he was patient with me because I was.

• 29:20Ryan Clark?

  Louisiana guy.

• 29:21Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah. He helped me a lot, man. And you know, that's my dog, man. That's like.

• 29:26Ryan Clark?

  Did your family play any part in you staying? Because I know, like when I was in school, my first real time of having adversity was I got hurt in training camp. And so the first away game, they didn't take me. You know what I mean? So like, I've been telling girls the whole summer I play football. You know what I mean? And it's the first away game, I'm on campus with them. You know what I mean? I remember calling my mom. I had to use a calling card, you know, because we have cell phones. I used the calling card. I remember calling my mom and just being like, mom, like, I don't know. Like, I'd rather just go to Tulane. At least if they gonna leave me on campus, I could get home. Was there any time you talked to your family where they had to help you through that? Because you mentioned just how close you guys were, how everybody pitched in to make sure you were good.

• 30:11Speaker 03

  Yeah, that's so funny. We piggyback off of talking about Coach Burns. He came to see me in high school. You know, at the time, I was, you know, T. Rich was going crazy at Bama. So I wanted to have a question about every running back. And. In high school, like, I always get pulled out of class. And every time I got pulled out of class, I'm like, oh, it's a college here, so I'm good. I ain't gotta worry about, I'm good. So, he came and visited me, and I always do my business with coaches in my, uh, my head coach office back in high school. And we talked for like hours, and I was like, asked about T. Ridge, asked about Mark Ingram, Eddie Lacy. And, um, once I got there, I was like, oh, yeah, I'm finna, as soon as I get there on campus, I end up graduating high school early and enroll early. So I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm finna be starting out there.

• 30:53Speaker 03

  So when I got into practice, I'm getting, pow, pow. I'm like, why ain't he, why ain't he like, uh, Trent, why ain't he like, Marlon, what's gonna I know? Like, you know, it was hard for me to understand. But like, as the season went on, and, you know, us finally in the program, because I got there with Alvin, man, Alvin came in at the same time, Alcy Tenpenny, who ended up, uh, passing away, uh, uh, my, my last year at Bama in like October, and Tyron Jones, I came in there with Ruben Foster. So we had a, we had a deep class, and TJ was already there. Yeah. Uh, Kenyon Drake was already there, um, Justin Fowles already there. So we was deep, like, we had like eight running backs. Our whole, the whole, the whole room was deep with seats. And then when we got out to practice, you, you might be happy you, you get a rep, or

• 31:37Speaker 03

  where you at in the depth chart, you might not get no reps. A matter of me understanding that, like, in various situations, it's not about, like, it's not about making excuses, this is about how you get through it. So my family really just let, let me handle it on my own. Oh, good. I would call and complain and vent, but like, you ain't coming home, so I don't know what you, what you thinking. But at the time, I was like, like, how these kids do now, they go to one school and leave. I was really thinking about going to Florida State. It really came, I, I was almost close to, to leaving and going to Florida State, but me and Coach Saban had to talk, and then I eventually ended up staying, and everything, everything worked out. What did he say to you when y'all had that conversation? It was like, it's a process, like, he's like, you come from, um, a, a small town,

• 32:22Speaker 03

  uh, being in high school, you the man, you know? And you like Superman, you know, for your team, and it's more to football than just handing you the ball and telling Derrick, just go, go score. You know, you gotta know the fundamentals about the game, you know, um... And it's just, it's just more to it than just handing you the ball and letting you run. And I ain't really understand that because all I, watching football, all I want to see is you run the ball or somebody else run the ball, not understanding the ins and outs of the game. So it took me a little time to, you know, go through the whole process and really understand and really get a grips of everything and, um, you know, and what I need to do to get better, honestly, because I thought my shit ain't staying.

• 33:06Speaker 03

  And my motherfucker was thinking about the whole that downspout. I appreciate that because it helped me grow a lot. And we had a final conversation about everything because I was still indecisive. It was like the, uh, the, the night before we played Oklahoma in the, in the Sugar Bowl was my freshman year. And Coach Saban was like, because that, that whole week before we were, we was practicing Tuscaloosa, then we came to New Orleans. I was like going in with the ones. So my, you know, my eyes got big. I'm like, damn, I'm in the play, I'm in the play. So I, I didn't really know. I thought he was just like prepping me, you know, for the near future. And then he sat me down. He was like, hey, you know, I didn't know, are you staying or are you leaving? It's like, if you stay, you gonna play. If not, then I, I mean, I mean, there's nothing I can do. It's out of my hands.

• 33:51Speaker 03

  And I was like, shit, you gonna play, but I'm gonna stay. And he was like, all right. And then I end up playing and I think I had like a hundred and something yards. Crazy. Someone carries and I had like a 62 yard reception and ended up having a, a great game. And then, you know, the rest was, I was straight there. I was like, I'm staying.

• 34:08Speaker 00

  Thinking about refreshing the carpet in your home? Now's the time to do it. For a limited time at The Home Depot, get 10% off installed carpet projects on trusted brands like LifeProof. LifeProof with pet-proof technology, Home Decorator's collection, and Traffic Master. Plus, with installation starting at just 49 cents per square foot, upgrading your space is more affordable than ever at The Home Depot. Offer valid September 24th, 2026 through October 4th, 2026. Exclusions apply. For licenses, see homedepot.com/license numbers.

• 34:38Channing Crowder?

  Hey D, I just, speaking of Saban, he drafted me to the Dolphins.

• 34:42Ryan Clark?

  I think I remember hearing something about that.

• 34:44Channing Crowder?

  You heard, so he drafted me to the Dolphins, I played, he was at LSU. I went crazy when LSU, LSU won the national championship that year, but they were 12 and 1. Florida ended up beating them, and I went nuts in the game. I balled out. That was when Skylar, what's his name, Skylar something, some little bitty- Skylar Green. That little damn return man, he hit one, so we did that. So Saban ended up letting me know, like, "Bro, I drafted you because of this game."

• 35:09Ryan Clark?

  That's crazy.

• 35:10Channing Crowder?

  And he called me Gator. He didn't say, he never said Channing or Crowder for two years. He called me Gator because of the fact of that game, right? And like, speaking about Saban, I try to explain to people how Saban is. The thing that, the trigger that I know when I was with Saban, right? We had, we had a bathroom in the Dolphin facility. That was like a little, little duck-off bathroom, where all the vets, you know, you can go in there and play on your phone and text your little girlfriends and all. But if, if the door opens and you look under the door, you see the little white legs, you know it's a coach, and you leave. If you see big black legs, you know it's a player, you stay in there and keep playing on your phone. That was the rule, so-

• 35:45Ryan Clark?

  So there's no little white-leg players or big black-leg coaches?

• 35:49Channing Crowder?

  Man, that fucking punter better kiss my ass. So I looked under, I looked under the stall one day, bro, and I saw little white legs with those, uh, what, what's the Nike? Monarchs. Nike Monarchs. The Nike Monarchs, the coach shoe. So I looked under the door, bro, I saw little Nike Monarchs. So I finished texting, put it in my pocketbook, there was Saban sitting there, and the bathroom was tight. So I'm washing my hands, and I'm looking over and Saban's right there next to me. And I gotta say something to him. I gotta say something to the head coach of the team I'm playing on, bro. So I was like, he always talks about Terry, Terry Saban's wife. And Terry- Miss Terry. Miss Terry. So Miss Terry made us some cookies the year before, and she ain't put enough sugar in them. Them fucking, them were starchy cookies.

• 36:34Channing Crowder?

  But I, I ain't say nothing about that, but I'm like, if you ask a man about his wife, he's gonna say she's fine. So I'm washing my hands, Saban's right there, I'm washing my hands, I look over, and I say, "Hey, Coach, how, how's Terry?"

• 36:50Channing Crowder?

  Bro, you know what his answer was? Should be a lot better if you cover a fucking back on third down.

• 36:56Speaker 03

  That's what I was gonna say it was.

• 36:57Channing Crowder?

  The week before, I gave up a third and six to a back out the backfield. And he got a first down. And they ain't even scoring this drive. But when that motherfucker looked at me, the only thing in his mind was, this bitch gave up a third down. This bitch gave up a first down on third down last year.

• 37:13Speaker 03

  That's how, yeah.

• 37:13Channing Crowder?

  Bro, hey, how you doing? Hey, how's Terry, coach? Should be a lot better if you cover a fucking back on third down. And that's how his mind works. I would, that's my story. I would ask you, like, as people, they're so enamored with Nick Saban, like, what's it like playing for Nick Saban? Like, what, what, what? Do you have a story or you have something like that, Nick Saban? Because that's what I remember every time people ask me about Nick Saban.

• 37:36Speaker 03

  That Bama documentary, whenever they do it, that bitch gonna be crazy. That bitch gonna be crazy, I'm telling you, it's gonna be crazy. It just, it's different now because like, the logistics of the NIL. And I think that's why I, I eventually figured that coach probably get out and retire. Because how it was going down is so crazy. But like, whenever I was at Bama, how we was at Bama? That shit was hard. That shit was hard, like. I'd be saying, it's so funny because like, like, through the years after I left, we would call each other and be like, them boys would have on like Jordan sleeves and Nike pants. And, "Hey, man, what's that?" Bro, we had to wear compression sleeves. You know the compression sleeve you put on your leg, you heard it?

• 38:18Speaker 03

  To make you look like, like, have some swag, have some drip on the field. Compression sleeve, you couldn't wear none of that. He wouldn't, he wouldn't have none of that. And if you did wear that shit, he would call it whistling by the graveyard. You know what I mean?

• 38:28Channing Crowder?

  You all had to fake it.

• 38:29Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, like, you acting like you ready, but you really, but you really scared, he would call that. So he, he ain't hate, like, if you wore that on pregame, "Hey Saban, come on up, man, take that off. You don't need to wear all that." That's just how he was. And Bama was hard, man, from like, the four-quarter program. We would be out there, like, you, Tracy the rabbit. So whoever the rabbit, you know, as soon as you take off, you gotta, you gotta get up to him. If you ain't catch him, Saban, "Hey, start it over." We like, "Aw, man." My freshman year, man, we had ran, we headed to the four, uh, four-quarter program. I ain't know, I'm a freshman, so I'm trying to get out, I'm trying to get it. I'm trying to make my mark. And I'm out there, running full speed, going crazy. Everybody like, "Man, slow down, man." I don't know, I am fast and do like that. As I got older, Tony Brown, uh, we was doing Chase the Rap. He was a freshman.

• 39:13Speaker 03

  And we got to Chase the Rap, I'm like, Tony, bro, do not take off. Tony was four two though. I said, Tony, don't take off when you get to this cone. Man, we jogging. Tony got to that cone.

• 39:29Speaker 03

  Well, we like, we, we, we dog tired. Cause Saban seen that, I'm like, oh man. Start it over. You, you, you, he going in, you already, you already know how he is. But, um, but that's just like a, a funny story. I mean, we got, we got plenty stories. I, I'll tell you a funny one. One time we was in, um, we was in the meetings. You know, cause Saban, he old school. Couldn't stand if anybody scored and, um, and wanted to celebrate afterwards. So, we in the meeting one day after the game, forgot who we played. And he pulling up, uh, he pulling up film, he showing everybody that he, he talking about, and you guys, you stop doing all that showboating, doing all that, uh, praying hands and, uh, act like you thanking God.

• 40:12Speaker 03

  And then late on that night, 12 o'clock, you down there, got Black and Milds, got liquor, you chasing. Like, get all that. That's just, we were, we were crying. We couldn't do nothing but laugh, cause he was riding. It's like, you gotta do your prayer, you get on one knee. Then 12 o'clock, 12 o'clock comes, you down there smoking Black and Milds on the corner, drinking, drinking liquor, smoking.

• 40:36Speaker 03

  Chasing girls, that shit, man, that shit was so funny, bro. I'm like, bro, he. He was tired of y'all. He was tired of us, bro.

• 40:43Fred Taylor?

  We started the whole thing off by your decision to go to Alabama.

• 40:47Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 40:47Fred Taylor?

  And you spoke about consistency. Florida didn't have that.

• 40:50Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 40:51Fred Taylor?

  With the coaching staff that came in, they didn't have a foundation.

• 40:54Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 40:54Fred Taylor?

  What you got out of Bama, which was the great, the perfect, uh, uh, decision, the best decision. You got consistency and you got a foundation from the guy you just was talking about, Coach Saban. He was always consistent. That's what made him great. Were you surprised when he announced his retirement? Cause lately he's been talking about, well, it's the, the, the way the NIL has taken over the sport and things have changed. That's not consistent. That's not what he's used to.

• 41:22Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 41:23Fred Taylor?

  And for him to make that statement, say, look, I can't do this no more. Because all these young guys, all they think about is getting paid. They don't think about their development. That's what he helped you do develop and all your other teammates. Were you surprised when he decided to announce his retirement?

• 41:41Speaker 03

  I was surprised just because I always see Coach Saban going out on top, like winning a national championship. And when they lost to Michigan, I mean, I was like, he probably, I figured he would come back because he's been coaching for so long. And the stories we've been telling just sound like- Coach me at LSU. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

• 41:58Fred Taylor?

  He recruited me at Michigan.

• 42:00Speaker 03

  That's what I'm saying. So like, all he knows is football and I can't see him doing nothing else, which I know Coach Saban liked to golf. But that's going back to when we were there. Like, it was just like how he ran his program. I knew eventually that it'll take his course because like how the NIL, you know, all that work and these kids like they trying to get paid. Which I ain't mad at because like, yeah, which I was playing when the NIL was, you know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? In rotation and shit, we would have probably done it. Yeah, that's what I'm saying, doing the same thing. It's just the way that Coach Saban run his program, he wants you to be able to, if it's not going the way you want it to go, he want to see you work, work for it, work through adversity, get through it.

• 42:44Speaker 03

  And then, you know, see what's on the other end of you being successful. Because like, you know, a lot of these guys getting paid and making this money, they expecting to come in and play. Now, they got paid, so they expecting to come in and play. And if it don't go their way, they like, we going somewhere else.

• 42:59Fred Taylor?

  Right.

• 42:59Speaker 03

  And Coach Saban, he old school, so he ain't really, he ain't really used to that. And like, some of these questions these kids asking is like, how much can you, how much you gonna give me? Yeah, that's what I'm saying. So it's kind of like for a guy who's been around you, you, you, you, it's like me. Like, it's, it's just a different, different thing to get used to, a different era. It's an era of football, really, and college football. But at the same time, you can't get mad at the players because like, you know, this opportunity is a once in a lifetime. And this is life changing for their families and, you know, you know, for them as well. But at the same time, it still has some, you still gotta have some integrity for the game. Correct. You know, rather than just quitting and going somewhere else because it didn't work out.

• 43:43Speaker 03

  And I think that's the thing Coach Saban struggled with is like, where the integrity of the game at? Yeah, you gonna get paid, but are you gonna, are you gonna work for it? Are you gonna go out there and earn it rather than just wanting the check and then be happy with whatever result you get? Right. And then if it don't go, move on to the next thing.

• 44:01Ryan Clark?

  He mentioned the consistency of Alabama under Coach Saban. It's not only been consistent, it's been a level of excellence that is unmatched in the history of college football. And especially at your position, Mark Ingram won in the Heisman, you've won the Heisman, all the first round draft picks from the position. You broke Shawn Alexander's Alabama rushing record. And you've now broken Shawn Alexander's Alabama NFL rushing record. So my question to you is, are you the best running back that played at Alabama?

• 44:35Speaker 03

  I can't answer that. Um, um, um, no, I wouldn't say. I just felt like I made my mark when I had the opportunity because when I came in, um, you know, I didn't play my first year. And then my second year, it wasn't, I mean, it was, it was all right. Like, it was, I would say it was mediocre. I didn't have, like a year I had the next year. And I feel like, like Shawn, he laid the foundation for, for running backs, even Bobby Humphrey. It's, I mean, I can go on and on about, all about Alabama running backs. And I always say Shawn the greatest because his body of work and, and what he did.

• 45:15Speaker 03

  And he didn't have, you know, what we had at Bama and, you know, that whole era with Coach Saban and, you know, the guys he, he brought in and first round picks. I mean, it's, it's just crazy. So I'll always say Shawn is the, is the greatest Alabama running back all the time. And Mark. Is the best in the Saban era because he started, that's who it started off with. And you know, he the first one to win the Heisman and really, you know, set it off for the running back. So I'll just say I made my mark and let the people decide.

• 45:47Speaker 05

  You, this man don't come around here and go, "Oh, here's all this fake you." All this modest thing.

• 45:54Speaker 03

  I knew this question would come up at some point and I was like, "How am I gonna answer it?" And I feel like Najee is, I feel like Najee is in that conversation too.

• 46:01Speaker 05

  Derek, do you know why you knew the question was gonna come up? Here's what's never gonna happen. I'm never gonna walk into an interview thinking, "Man, how am I gonna answer the question? Am I the greatest Steeler?" You know why? Because ain't nobody ever gonna ask me that. But when you go in and there's a thought in your head, "I might be the best running back in Alabama history."

• 46:20Speaker 03

  Who the best?

• 46:20Speaker 05

  I'm gonna have to answer this question.

• 46:22Channing Crowder?

  Who the best told the rock at Alabama?

• 46:25Speaker 03

  Who y'all think the best? Who you think the best?

• 46:27Speaker 05

  Nigga, you!

• 46:29Fred Taylor?

  We are the people.

• 46:31Speaker 05

  The number's saying. The leader in the league. Derek, it's the numbers. You ain't played but eight years in the league.

• 46:41Speaker 03

  I'm saying like this, no, no, no, not with the league included. I'm saying in college though, who y'all think the best running back at Alabama? Honestly, being real.

• 46:49Fred Taylor?

  For me, I think when you look at pound for pound, you look at how you attack defenses. You guys had a lot of great running backs. The way I would always kind of view my running backs at Bama, you're a big guy. You have the amazing, most amazing jump cut. Like your jump cut's so solid, I'm glad Coach Saban did not put you at D. And I ain't think he would because of that. But I think you, in my opinion, you are the best Bama running back. And not just being biased from Florida, just looking at the skill set.

• 47:23Speaker 03

  The big guy to move like that, which is crazy.

• 47:26Ryan Clark?

  I'm gonna say this, you're the greatest Alabama running back of the modern era. That is my full opinion. Now, cutting on the film, or sitting at my house as a LSU fan, the running back from Alabama that I thought was the scariest was Trent Richardson. That is my.

• 47:43Speaker 03

  Trent Richardson was a.

• 47:44Ryan Clark?

  When he ran the ball at Alabama.

• 47:47Speaker 03

  He's a reason why, a big reason why I went to Alabama because of him. Trent was a dog.

• 47:51Ryan Clark?

  Trent made people, like you made people quit. Like I felt like, like I would always say, when you ran the ball in college, and I said this about Trent first though, I was like, at some point, 18 and 19-year-olds are going to get tired of trying to tackle them. And you would see it every game, right? They'd start out and they'd be fired up, they might stop y'all one or two times. And then eventually, it'd be like, okay, I've had enough. And I thought Trent was the first one I saw do that to LSU for sure. And then obviously, you came in and did the exact same thing. I know we've been talking about Alabama a lot, you know, but we are here in this place because of who you were in Tennessee. You grabbed the microphone in your last game and you thank Tennessee fans

• 48:35Ryan Clark?

  for the greatest eight years of your life. Like I identify with Pittsburgh like that now, but I wasn't drafted to Pittsburgh. I didn't set records in Pittsburgh. I didn't do some of the things that you did in Tennessee. How hard was it to come to the realization that your Tennessee Titans career was over?

• 48:56Speaker 03

  Yeah, it was hard because my last two years, it just didn't go well. And then when you've been in an organization that long and, you know, played a big role of trying to turn it around from the previous years, and then going out the year before, I think we lost like seven straight. And then this year, being six and 11, now I was playing, the back of my mind, like, damn, going out like this, like. I always pictured it ending and better than than what it did because what we did in the previous years, but we could just never get back to that point. And I still had hope that we would get back to that point, but it never just worked out. So like, and the

• 49:40Speaker 03

  whole aspect of it, when I know it was coming to it and, and I did that speech, I was like, I'm just speak, speak for the heart because this could be, really be my last, you know, time talking to the fans. And, you know, I still think about that to this day. I'm like, dang, it's like, I ain't, you know, you, you don't want to go out like, you know, somewhere you've been for so long and, um, you know, uh, you know, you spent your whole, whole career there. You just wish it was a better, a better ending than what it was.

• 50:09Ryan Clark?

  Derek, you know, you guys made it to the AFC Championship. And the thing I remember most about it, you were, went absolutely crazy that year. The thing I remember most was late in the game against Kansas City, you on the sideline in a jacket.

• 50:23Speaker 03

  Mm-hmm.

• 50:24Ryan Clark?

  Right? And it's like, okay, this is the best running back in football. His team's trying to make it to the Super Bowl. And because they're down, he's not on the field. Part of sort of the devaluing of the running back position is that, right? Because that's very similar to LeDainian Thomason, who we had on the show as well, to when LT's in the AFC Championship, his knees hurt and he has on the coat, he has on the helmet. How important is it for you now in Baltimore to help Lamar, who has been on the cusp as you were, John Harbaugh, who has already won a championship, Roquan and that defense?

• 51:07Ryan Clark?

  How important is it for you and your career to win a championship?

• 51:11Speaker 03

  It's really important and I'm happy I'm going somewhere that they, they're, they're hungry. They, they hungry for it and they right on the cusp. You know, they're always in the conversation. And I know Lamar want one really bad. So I ain't going to somewhere that like, the expectation is just, we're going to see what's going to happen. Let's make the playoffs and try to make some noise. No, they trying to win it. And being so close and, um, Losing that game in Kansas City, I know they're hungry. I know, you know, they gonna come in with the right mindset and let's get to it. So I'm, I'm ready to come in and be that, that, that adding piece to it to help spring them forward if, if any way possible, any way I can.

• 51:52Speaker 03

  And helping him and, you know, taking some of the, you know, saying the, the pressure off him in, in any way. And, um, you know, the big thing is being around some dogs. So I'm, I'm excited for the opportunity. And another big reason why I played a big part is the last time the Ravens won the Super Bowl, it was in New Orleans. And the Super Bowl was in New Orleans this year. So hopefully this shit come full circle.

• 52:21Speaker 00

  Thinking about refreshing the carpet in your home? Now's the time to do it. For a limited time at The Home Depot, get 10% off installed carpet projects on trusted brands like LifeProof. LifeProof with pet-proof technology, Home Decorator's Collection, and Traffic Master. Plus, with installation starting at just 49 cents per square foot, upgrading your space is more affordable than ever at The Home Depot. Offer valid September 24th, 2026 through October 4th, 2026. Exclusions apply. For licenses, see homedepot.com/license numbers.

• 52:51Channing Crowder?

  I like it, bro. And, and, and I know we gonna end. I know we got, my last one, bro, I gotta ask. Because you're a part of all the memes. When you be punishing them, them, them damn secondary safeties and corners. Do you yell, like, do you yell?

• 53:07Channing Crowder?

  Whatever. When you be, like, what, what do you think? Because all the whole, I, I, the run game with you would be to get you on the defensive back. Cause they can't tackle you big ass. You big as hell. When you, you break that and see a safety come off the edge, like, what, how does your mind work when it's like? No, you're stiff on, but like, when you, when you know the scheme has worked and it's a, it's a 175, 175 pound dude coming to tackle you.

• 53:32Speaker 03

  Bro, you know, so funny is like, if the scheme worked and I'm in open field at 101. I've been looking at the end zone. I don't even be like, it is what it is at that point.

• 53:42Speaker 05

  Yeah, you little bitty. Every time, and I stay on the little TV. I already stay on the little TV.

• 53:48Speaker 03

  He did, yeah.

• 53:50Speaker 05

  Bro, when he get back there by the DBs, his whole demeanor changed. I know what you mean though. This humble guy who sit here, that's who runs when he from the line of scrimmage to three yards past the line of scrimmage. Once he break that. Anything outside the numbers and past four yards down the field, he turned into a whole different person. Ain't no more humility, ain't no more, I'm just trying to read the holes. That's when he stiffing people. He be punishing y'all ass. Yeah, cuz he dirty, he know he live. He be punishing y'all ass.

• 54:25Speaker 03

  You mean like, like if I'm like getting through the line of scrimmage, like my mindset is like.

• 54:30Speaker 05

  I'm just trying to get through, you know, I'm trying to make a, I'm just, I just wanna make a play, I wanna do the right thing. Now, when he get back there by the DBs, he on demon time. Yeah, like now.

• 54:40Speaker 03

  But that's how it set up though, the offense though, that's how, that's how it set up though, it's not really like, unless it's like a downhill run where we just like, we gonna get, we gonna get what we can. And then, you know what I'm saying, just, just keep running on their throws until they, they finally tap out. But like, in the zone scheme, it's really about manipulating the defense, you feel me, like setting your linebackers up.

• 55:00Speaker 05

  He know that.

• 55:00Speaker 03

  Setting the linebackers up on the offensive lineman, cuz sometimes they don't come off and you gotta be able to, you feel me, move or make it easy for them to get, to get where you wanna go. But that's what I love about the zone scheme, cuz I'm like, this shit be fun, cuz like, I'm hauling ass and you feel me? I said one cut.

• 55:15Speaker 05

  Okay, I got a question then. What about, what about when he runs up on you? What about when you break and he runs up on you? In the hole, I win. Huh? And like if we do it quick, if I'm the, if I'm the eighth man in the box. RC, you run up on Derrick. He's tackled. 100%. Ryan. We're talking about. So you said, so you saying like if I get the ball and we meet, right? In the hole. So Derrick Henry, Derrick Henry in the eye, right? Derrick Henry, okay. I'm the eighth, I'm the eighth, right? He pushing front side, right? He cuts it back and it's just me and him. And I'm saying. You can't go nowhere else. Derrick Henry is tackled 100%. If I cut back and you right there. Yes, if you, if he's, if it's front side.

• 56:00Speaker 05

  And it's me and you. Me, yes Derrick, who else is in here to play defense under the chain? You fighting for your life. I'm not fighting for my. It's not gonna be. I can say like if you like, it's an eight man box and you shoot the gap like we running like, we running like downhill, you got down. No Derrick, you see, yes, you see me, that's what I'm talking about, he can see me. If I cut back and it's me and you 101. So Derrick, see, you see him coming and he sees you and y'all look at each other. He is tackled 10 out of 10 times. On the cutback. Yes, and let's see, like you talking about, he just gonna run straight and it's a hole. They might make a miss. Are you saying, oh, okay, so you saying you sitting in the hole? I'm saying. Oh, you halfway in the backfield. No, what I'm saying is, I'm rotating into the box. Okay, you rotating into the box.

• 56:44Speaker 05

  Derrick Henry gets the football. And cuts back, cuts back to the B gap. It can be front side, cut back, whatever it is. If there is a tunnel and it's me and Derrick Henry, Derrick Henry's tackled 10 out of 10 times. Bullshit, let me jump in for two seconds, let me jump in. I would give him a little credit, it depends on, like, if the hole, if I can. Yeah, if he can maneuver, it's different. Don't be nice, don't be nice. Look, I'm gonna say it like this, and there's video, there's proof out there, Michael Caputo, y'all know who that is? No. It's the, it's the safety from Wisconsin, when he was at Alabama, Mike ran down, same scenario, in the hole, first quarter, a minute into the game versus Bama.

• 57:25Fred Taylor?

  Mike left that game with a concussion. His ass was on the floor sleeping for point for two seconds.

• 57:30Speaker 03

  I see.

• 57:30Speaker 05

  I never said I wasn't gonna be sleeping.

• 57:32Speaker 03

  No, no, no. He's sick. No, but you played violent, but I'm saying like if it was like a, it depend, I, I would be a real listener. If it's like the, depending on like if they, they moving him off the ball and we got, we got, you feel me? One on one, if it's me and him. I feel good. But like if he come down this, the hole to condense, then he probably, he probably make the tackle. Thank you. If I got a little space to work with. I agree. He could go, okay.

• 57:54Speaker 05

  Nice.

• 57:55Speaker 03

  I'm being real listener. In a real scenario, that's what I mean. You gonna run him, you gonna run him the fuck over and keep driving.

• 58:01Ryan Clark?

  One real question for you and it goes back to my first question about your grandmother though, man. Because you towards, you know, some of the best moments of your life in the end, you had to pass notes to your grandmother to communicate.

• 58:18Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 58:18Ryan Clark?

  You know, cause she wasn't able to speak. And you wrote on those notes and she wrote back just how proud of you she was. And you just got an opportunity to tell her how much, you know, you love her, but you were in camp, camp, I guess, when she passed. Having her having been so much a part of your life to where you're still talking about her at pressers now when you sign, how difficult was that time for you being she was all of, your grandmother was all of those things to you as a young man?

• 58:48Speaker 03

  That whole year was, was real hard. Coming off that year, I won the Heisman National Champion. And then, you know, I was so hard on myself about not going in the first round. Cause I wanted to be like, be like them and like all the, all the great running backs I've known have gone in the first round and made a big impact. So then when I went in the second round, I was down to myself. And then whenever I got to Tennessee, I wasn't starting. I was behind DeMarco. And then it was just like, man, like I just felt like, you know, I don't know, I was just like real like, it was just a, a dark time for me. And then.

• 59:27Speaker 03

  Having her pass, I'm just like, I was, it was, it was bad. It was bad for me. I was in a, I was in a bad place. And, um, and it was just a, a, a rough time. And I remember the, uh, the day she passed. My grandmother, when I was little, just always pinch me. Always, always pinch me. That was just her thing. And the day she passed, I mean, I was, I was, uh, my girl was asleep. And I'm sleeping in bed and I'm like, I feel something pinch me. So I'm like, so my girl, like, you pinching me? And she's like, no. And I'm like, oh, man. And that just shows you like, even though they're not here physically, their spirit is still around. And I feel like my grandmother, she's, she's always around.

• 1:00:10Speaker 03

  I always see things that remind me of her, the butterflies. And, you know, sometimes you can feel one of your loving's presence. Um, that's, that's, that's been gone. But, um, yeah, going back to that in 2016, that was a, that was a dark time. But I feel like that molded me into the person I am today. Being a, a young dude in the NFL, trying to figure out his way, trying to figure out his way through life. And then, um, you know, as a player, just fighting through adversity, having dark times and knowing that shit, um, no matter what, shit, just keep your faith strong and keep working. And I got my family to lean on as well, so everything was straight.

• 1:00:54Fred Taylor?

  I'm glad we had an opportunity to do this, obviously. I'm a, I'm a huge, huge fan of yours, uh, of you on and off the field. I love how you carry yourself. I didn't realize we had so much in common. Uh, Muck City, 16,000 people, Uli.

• 1:01:08Speaker 03

  Actually, when I was there one time, I was like, ooh, I thought Uli was country boy.

• 1:01:11Fred Taylor?

  Yeah.

• 1:01:12Speaker 03

  I doubt it. This is different.

• 1:01:14Fred Taylor?

  The Muck is different.

• 1:01:15Speaker 03

  It's different.

• 1:01:16Fred Taylor?

  But it shaped me to help me become the person I am. Playing running back, uh, birthed by young parents. My mom was around 16, 17, same age. Having that relationship with my grandmother. You know, being homesick, when I left to go to Florida, we both cried.

• 1:01:31Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:01:31Fred Taylor?

  And I'm like, fuck. So, but she said, you ain't coming back home.

• 1:01:34Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:01:34Fred Taylor?

  Bring your ass back home. Um, but no, I, I do admire you for a whole lot of reasons. Uh, but we always ask our guests, what's their biggest pivot, right? It's, um, that one moment you can look back on and say, this is the moment that impacted me the most, that it helped me become the person that we all see here right now.

• 1:01:56Speaker 03

  I would say in 2018, 16 and 17, I was behind DeMarco Murray. And you know, when you, you young, you think you should be playing, be like, man, I should be the starter. And then 18 turned around and I get a chance to start. And that whole offseason, my approach wasn't what it needed to be. And we had a whole new coaching staff and a whole new offense. And going back to when I got to Alabama, thinking everything was just going to fall in my hands. I don't need to do what I need to do to prepare like a starter and take my job serious like, like, like I need to.

• 1:02:39Speaker 03

  And then when that season came, it, it showed. I was struggling, I wasn't running hard, weren't really having no impact. And then I end up getting benched and Deion Lewis ended up taking over. Shit, damn near should, almost through that year, shit, all the birds are getting, getting cut. Cause I wasn't, wasn't doing nothing. I wasn't making no impact. I remember calling my agent after one game, I forgot what game it was. And I was like, shit, they gonna cut me because I ain't even, I ain't even playing. You feel me? Like, you know, when it writing on the wall, they writing on the wall. I remember one day at practice, I just see one butterfly, but I saw multiple butterflies.

• 1:03:22Speaker 03

  And it was just like a reminder, it was like, she used to always tell me when I was little, like, like, get your lesson. Like, football gonna be there, but make sure you get your lesson.

• 1:03:31Speaker 06

  Right.

• 1:03:32Speaker 03

  And I would just open the eye for me, it was just like, I would just like, man, I'm tripping. I gotta, I gotta get, I gotta get to it. So whenever I got benched, you know, I, I got quiet, but I was like still working. And I told myself, I was like, man, if I get an opportunity, no matter if I'm second, third string, I'm gonna go in there and go, go run it and just stop thinking and go play like myself. And ever since like, well, after that happened, I remember it was a game we played, we played the Colts and we was getting whooped. And I got, you know, when you, when you get, well, like, hey Derrick, go in. It's like four minutes left in the fourth quarter. I'm like, man. But I was like, I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna do my thing. And I ended up running the ball pretty well. And Ray was like, man, you can get some more, some more opportunities.

• 1:04:15Speaker 03

  And then week after week, I just start, you know, building my confidence and, you know, just embracing my role. And then to that Jaguar game, Jaguar game came. And I was just like, if I get an opportunity tonight, is we on primetime? I'm like, it's, it's up. I'm going, I'm gonna go crazy. That the 99 yarder? Yeah, the 99 yard run. After that game, I don't know, it just like something changed, something just clicked. And I would probably say that was the, the pivot moment for me. Cause without that, without that happening in my life, you know, ain't no telling where my career would have went. And I feel like that really impacted me to get where I am today and success that I had

• 1:04:59Speaker 03

  in my career and being able to, to be where I'm at now, so.

• 1:05:03Ryan Clark?

  I guess the last question would be, if you could write your grandmother a letter today, where you are, what would it say?

• 1:05:12Speaker 03

  So, thank you for everything that she's taught me throughout my life. I still use it to this day, being 30 years old. And I know, you know, I'm, I'm young and there was this, you know, she talking to me and, you know, just raising me and having conversations. But those conversations turned into life lessons that I kept with me since I was a little boy. And any point in my life that, you know, I had some cloudiness, I'll fall back on the conversations that we always had. And that helped me get through it. Her hard work that she instilled in every single one of us in my family, cause I got a big family and all her kids, that's still, that's still intact to this day, you know?

• 1:05:57Speaker 03

  And it, it, it has domino effect to every single one of her children's kids and her children's, children's, uh, children's kids and, and me as well. And everything that she instilled to me, I'm going to instill in my kids as well. And just thank her for her sacrifice and everything that she's, she's done in my life. And I'mma continue to do what I gotta do to make her proud and be able to provide for the family.

• 1:06:27Fred Taylor?

  We need a Prince Henry right here. That makes babies.

• 1:06:30Speaker 05

  I love it. I appreciate you, bro.

• 1:06:31Fred Taylor?

  Bless you, bro.

• 1:06:33Speaker 05

  No, that's gonna be scary. This right here, though?

• 1:06:35Fred Taylor?

  My god.

• 1:06:35Speaker 05

  This right here? Where this end gotta figure out which one to take?

• 1:06:39Fred Taylor?

  Hey, look, bro.

• 1:06:40Speaker 03

  For sure, for sure.

• 1:06:41Speaker 07

  How long y'all here?

• 1:07:06Speaker 08

  Every game day, you show up for your team. Now, it's your time.

• 1:07:11Speaker 09

  We go V.

• 1:07:14Speaker 08

  We go V. Ask your prescriber about WeGoV, some aglitide injection 2.4 milligrams a GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOV or visit wegoV.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about WeGoV. Why wait? We go V.