Alabama saw a plethora of its players enter the transfer portal this offseason and transfer elsewhere. Several will impact the future of the football program while others will not be missed as greatly. Today, Touchdown Alabama takes a look at which outgoing transfers will affect Alabama the most in 2025.
Several of the outgoing transfers that would have been starters or served key roles next season are safety DeVonta Smith, wide receiver Kendrick Law, and running back Justice Haynes. Others that might have seen increased roles are safety King Mack, linebacker Justin Okoronkwo, and wide receiver Caleb Odom.
Smith was a player that the Alabama coaching staff would have preferred to keep around. The Ohio native was an integral part of Alabama’s defense in 2024. He recorded 30 tackles and five pass breakups. In all likelihood, Smith would have competed for the starting HUSKY spot. His versatility and physicality on the back end really helped the Crimson Tide in 2024. He will be missed during the spring and potentially during the 2025 season.
Haynes and Law would have likely been key pieces of Alabama’s offense in 2025. However, Haynes transferred to Michigan this offseason and Law transferred to Kentucky. Haynes would have likely split carries with Jam Miller had he decided to return to Alabama. Instead, Alabama will look toward redshirt sophomore Richard Young and senior Dre’lyn Washington to fill in with Haynes’ absence. Law’s stats were not indicative of how important he was to Alabama’s offense. The Louisiana native was a better blocker and decoy than anything in Kalen DeBoer’s offense. He brought physicality and a veteran presence to Alabama’s receiving room.
While Okoronkwo, Odom, and Mack were likely going to be rotational pieces next season, each of them put some positive things on display during the 2024 season. Each of them would have been key depth pieces and contributed on special teams in all likelihood.
Nowadays, depth and experience are crucial for any college football program, much less a school like Alabama that is working effortlessly to establish an identity under the direction of Kalen DeBoer. Alabama will have to turn in a different direction at several different positions, so it will be interesting to see how these losses truly affect the program in 2025.
GET THE BEST ALABAMA FOOTBALL INSIDER INFORMATION, MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, AND RECRUITING COVERAGE TODAY! SIGN UP HERETO UNLOCK OUR SUBSCRIBER ONLY CONTENT!*
Brody Smoot is a team reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “follow” him on X, via @brodysmoot.
