Alabama wide receiver says he ‘definitely not’ entering transfer portal

3/5/25 MFB Spring Practice 2 Alabama Wide Receiver Jaylen Mbakwe (3) Photo by Kent Gidley

Alabama football’s wide receiver, Jaylen Mbakwe recently told Austin Duncan Media  he has no intentions to enter the transfer portal, answering ‘definitely not’ when asked about the portal.

Mbakwe is in his first season as a wide receiver for the Crimson Tide. He previously lined up at cornerback as a true freshman.

The former five-star has pulled in three receptions for 55 yards this season. His best game came against Eastern Illinois when he pulled in two receptions for 39 yards, with his longest reception of the season coming against the Panthers.

Alabama is gearing up to take on Indiana in the Rose Bowl, but the Tide will also have to be in position to take advantage of the transfer portal once it opens on Jan. 2.

Kalen DeBoer gave his thoughts on the portal opening a day after the Rose Bowl earlier this week.

“I think there’s conversations the coaches are continuing to have,” DeBoer said. “Just our antennas are up. The one thing I appreciate about our whole team, and that’s coaches and players together, I think there’s really strong relationships and conversations that can be had in a way where it can be really up front and honest, and talk through things. And there’s a care that these guys have for each other, to where first and foremost, we want to take advantage of what we’ve done all season. This is why you’ve done all the work: to be able to play this game. But there also is a reality of that time coming, when the portal does open. And just talking through any of the what-ifs, any of the different scenarios, and every guy’s situation is different. Just kind of making sure that if there is any type of, I don’t want to call it a red flag, but anything that you kind of think might happen, let’s talk about. We’ve been open, and I think that’s how we’ve retained a lot of our roster at different times at different levels over the last year-and-a-half, two years. That’s what I would hope we can continue to do with our coaching staff and relationships, as well as our players and the way they care about the program, as well as this season and finishing strong.”

Alabama and Indiana go at it in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.