Following the surprising news of Nick Saban announcing his retirement, Alabama’s off-season has had an interesting start as the Crimson Tide’s best players began to flood the transfer portal. As expected, the Tide have lost a considerable amount of players to the portal and it appears there could be more on the way.
The first player that will be leaving Alabama is their second leading receiver, Isaiah Bond to their new SEC foe, the Texas Longhorns. Bond led the Crimson Tide with 48 receptions for 668 yards and four touchdowns. His biggest moment of the season was his game-winning 31-yard touchdown reception in the Iron Bowl against Auburn to give Alabama a chance to play in the SEC Championship Game.
Another player that will be parting ways with the Crimson Tide is star safety Caleb Downs, who led the team in tackles with 107. Downs will play in Columbus next year for the Ohio State Buckeyes and will be expected to help lead the Buckeyes to their first victory against arch rival Michigan Wolverines in four years.
Another defensive player who decided to leave Alabama after the retirement of Nick Saban was freshman All-American offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor. Proctor, being from Des Moines, decided to commit to the University of Iowa and play college football in his home state.
Alabama’s most crucial loss was when they found out that they would be losing former five star freshman quarterback Julian Sayin. Sayin had been seen as the future of the quarterback position for the Crimson Tide and it will be hard to recover from the loss of such a talented young player.
The Tide will have a hard time trying to rebound on a successful season, but former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer will attempt to help them return to the College Football Playoff. In an attempt to bolster Alabama’s roster, DeBoer has brought a few players from Washington to Tuscaloosa. Most notably, former four star quarterback Austin Mack and former Washington receiver Germie Bernard. Mack had been sitting behind Heisman finalist Michael Penix at Washington and Bernard recorded 34 receptions for 419 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Huskies.
However, the most important transfer Alabama will be getting is center Parker Brailsford. Brailsford started every game for the Huskies last season and was a part of the Joe Moore award winning offensive line, an award given to the best offensive line in college football. Brailsford will hope to continue that excellent level of play at Alabama and be a part of their history of great offensive linemen.
It will be an uphill climb for the Crimson Tide this season. However, with the help of coach Kalen DeBoer, improvements from rising senior quarterback Jalen Milroe, and contributions from transfers like Brailsford and Bernard, the Tide will look to continue their recent run of success.