Alabama has been on the beneficiary and on the losing end of the transfer portal in past years. Today, Touchdown Alabama will assess how the Crimson Tide have fared over the course of history in the portal.
Some of the most impactful players for Alabama in recent memory have come via the transfer portal. Several notable players that transferred to Alabama are Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, Landon Dickerson, Domani Jackson, and Henry To’oTo’o among many others. Overall, Alabama has brought in a lot of experience and talent from the transfer portal. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban was not as fond of the transfer portal as other coaches like Lane Kiffin, Ryan Day, or Mike Norvell. However, he did utilize the transfer portal in a way in which he was able to supplement his roster and fill big holes on both sides of the ball.
Second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer has prioritized recruiting the transfer portal as well. In two offseasons, he has landed 24 transfers. In 2024, he assembled one of the stronger transfer portal classes in the country bringing in top transfers such as LT Overton, Parker Brailsford, Domani Jackson, and Keon Sabb. Each of which were key starters for the Crimson Tide in 2024.
On the contrary, Alabama has lost a multitude of key starters in the past as well. Some of the more notable outgoing transfers have been Caleb Downs, Traeshon Holden, Julian Sayin, and Trey Amos. Downs and Sayin were a part of a national championship-winning Ohio State team in 2024. Holden was more of an impact player at Oregon than he was at Alabama. Amos was arguably one of the best cornerbacks in college football in 2024.
The transfer portal has transcended college football and will continue to for many years to come. In totality, Alabama has more wins than losses in the transfer portal. A lot of the outgoing transfers did not pan out at their next schools. There are very few transfers that made their way to Tuscaloosa that did not benefit from the change of scenery. The Alabama coaching staff has done a tremendous job of identifying, evaluating, and developing transfers. I would expect that to continue to be the case for the foreseeable future.
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Brody Smoot is a team reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “follow” him on X, via @brodysmoot.
