Dissecting the Transfer Portal Changes Made by Alabama Football
an analysis of the Crimson Tide’s acquisitions and losses through the transfer portal by position since the season’s conclusion.
For Alabama, legendary head coach Nick Saban’s retirement opened the portal floodgates as player after player chose not to stick around into new head coach Kalen DeBoer’s tenure. Between the winter and spring portal windows, Alabama had 39 total scholarship and walk-on players transfer out of the program. But despite those losses, DeBoer and his newly-hired staff brought in 14 transfers to supplement the 2nd-ranked recruiting class in the country as a new crop of talent comes into Tuscaloosa.
To sum up all of the movement, below is a position-by-position breakdown going over what Alabama lost and gained via the transfer portal at each position ahead of the 2024 football season.
Quarterback
In – Austin Mack (Washington)
Out – Julian Sayin, Eli Holstein, Tyler Buchner
The movement in the quarterback room was to be expected. Holstein and Buchner were both backups, and with Ty Simpson deciding not to enter the portal himself, there wasn’t much room for them on the depth chart.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was the loss of 5-star early enrollee Julian Sayin, who was viewed to be the future at signal-caller in Tuscaloosa. To replace him, DeBoer brought Austin Mack with him from Washington, a 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman who has the build of an NFL quarterback. He likely won’t see the field in 2024, but he could be DeBoer’s quarterback of the future.
Running Back
In – None
Out – Roydell Williams, Darien Clayborne
The only major loss from the running back room was Roydell Williams, who saw nearly equal snaps with starter Jase McClellan last season. His exit, however, means the keys to the backfield will be handed over to the young duo of Jam Miller and Justice Haynes, two former high school standouts who have the potential to be one of the best backfield duos in all of college football.
Wide Receiver
In – Germie Bernard (Washington)
Out – Isaiah Bond, Malik Benson, Ja’Corey Brooks, Shazz Preston, Thaiu Jones-Bell, Sawyer Deerman, Hayden Neighbors, Andre Craig
The pass-catching room took a few hits, most notably starters Isaiah Bond and Malik Benson moving on to different schools. Bernard is expected to be an immediate contributor, already knowing DeBoer’s offense from his two years at Washington. Alabama still has a deep room of talented wide receivers, the question will be who separates from the pack and garners the majority of the snaps.
Tight End
In – Josh Cuevas (Washington)
Out – Amari Niblack, Miles Kitselman
The loss of Amari Niblack as a pass-catching tight end is unfortunate for DeBoer’s offense, especially considering his sky-high potential, but as mentinoed in the wide receivers section there isn’t a lack of talent on the perimeter of this team.
Cuevas, another transfer from Washington, caught four passes for a touchdown last season for the Huskies and will provide meaningful depth behind returning starter CJ Dippre.
Offensive Line
In – Kadyn Proctor (Iowa), Parker Brailsford (Washington), Geno VanDeMark (Michigan State), Naquil Bertrand (Texas A&M)
Out – Kadyn Proctor, Seth McLaughlin, TJ Ferguson, James Brockermeyer
Yes, you’re reading that first name right on both lines. Kadyn Proctor transferred to Iowa during the winter transfer portal window, and after spending the spring in the midwest, decided to transfer back to the Crimson Tide. He will likely retain his starting left tackle spot, being the third returning starter along the offensive line.
Brailsford was the center at Washington last year, an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award. He’s expected to take the starting center spot with the departures of McLaughlin, Ferguson and Brockermeyer, whom all have played center at some point.
Geno VanDeMark and Naquil Bertrand will both likely be depth pieces along the line this season, but will have the chance to start in the future as each have at least two years of eligibility left.
Defensive Line
In – LT Overton (Texas A&M)
Out – Isaiah Hastings, Khurtiss Perry, Monkell Goodwine, Anquin Barnes
The defensive line returns a ton of talent to bolster the front seven, as the only losses are players who had yet to play meaningful snaps in their Crimson Tide career. The addition of LT Overton is a welcomed one, being a former 5-star recruit and still on the young side, with two years left of eligibility.
Linebacker
In – None
Out – Shawn Murphy, Kendrick Blackshire, Ian Jackson
No additions at the linebacker spot, again only a few departures from players who had yet to find their way onto the field through multiple seasons in Tuscaloosa. The depth is somewhat of a question mark, but Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell are poised to be one of the best linebacker duos in the SEC, and maybe the country.
Defensive Back
In – Domani Jackson (USC), King Mack (Penn State), Keon Sabb (Michigan), Kameron Howard (Charlotte), DaShawn Jones (Wake Forest)
Out – Caleb Downs, Antonio Kite, Dezz Ricks, Trey Amos, Jameer Grimsley, Earl Little II, Kristian Story, Jake Pope, Peyton Woodyard, Tony Mitchell
The secondary is where the largest amount of movement took place. Ten different defensive backs transferred out, including surefire starters Caleb Downs and Trey Amos as well as other players that had a chance to compete for starting spots.
In the portal, Alabama brought in former 5-star Domani Jackson from USC, who is likely to man one of the starting corner spots. The other has a good chance of going to Wake Forest transfer DaShawn Jones. Outside of returning captain Malachi Moore, seemingly every other position on the back end is up for grabs.
Michigan transfer safety Keon Sabb is expected to make an immediate impact, while the additions of Penn State safety King Mack and Charlotte safety Kameron Howard provide excellent depth.
The loss of Downs may be the biggest loss of the entire offseason, as he’s set to be one of the best players in all of college football, but DeBoer and his staff did aa good of a job as they could filling holes in the secondary to provide a deep pool of talent to build from.
Special Teams
In – Graham Nicholson (Miami OH)
Out – Uptan Bellenfant, Reed Harradine, Brock O’Quinn
No significant losses to the portal on the special teams side, but one major addition. After losing kicker Will Reichard, college football’s all-time leading scorer, to the NFL Draft, Alabama brought in Miami (OH) kicker Graham Nicholson. Nicholson won the Lou Groza Award for the best kicker in college football last season, so there shouldn’t be much of a dropoff in the kicking game for the Crimson Tide this season.
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