Breaking down how Alabama has replaced transfer portal departures

Alabama saw a stark exodus of talent to the transfer portal when Nick Saban retired in early January. But taking stock of the roster now, the Crimson Tide appear to have found workable replacements to fill holes that popped up.

This does not mean the new players at one-for-one or equal replacements for the departures, according to BamaOnline’s Tim Watts — save for one specific case. But in discussing the matter with On3’s Andy Staples, Watts indicated that Kalen DeBoer and the new coaching staff have done a fine job of mining the transfer portal and inking a solid high school recruiting class to keep the roster solid in Tuscaloosa.

“He’s been a busy guy if you look at it,” Watts said. “If you look at Kalen DeBoer, from the guys who left to Ryan Williams to possibly Kadyn Proctor — if you lay out the timeline, he’s been an active fella. He’s had a lot going on there, recruiting-wise with the prep ranks and also the portal. And also, another thing he did, he kept a lot of those other transfers like Domani Jackson. So they were able to keep some talent that could’ve gone back in the portal as well.”

Williams is one of the prizes of the 2024 recruiting class, one of the top receivers in the entire country. And Proctor’s apparent return is a massive, an unexpected re-addition to the roster. Proctor played his freshman season at Alabama, signing there as the top tackle prospect in his class after flipping from Iowa late in the process. He transferred back to Iowa in January but this week has made clear he intends to return to Alabama this spring.

It’s not a replicable scenario for most, but Alabama managed to find the perfect replacement for Proctor at left tackle: Proctor.

At other positions, the Crimson Tide weren’t going to be as lucky, but even there Watts thinks they’ve done well. He again made sure to remind the new additions were guaranteed to be perfect or equal replacements for the departures.

“They lost Caleb Downs and they got Keon Sabb. They lost Proctor, they’re going to get Proctor. They’re kind of filling those voids. They lost Seth [McLaughlin], they’re going to get Parker [Brailsford]. So you see these guys filling in. Isaiah Bond left and they got Germie Bernard. They lost a tight end, [Amari] Niblack, they got Josh Cuevas, who’s getting really good reviews from the people I talk to about practice, so far, which is only one week in.”

And as more roster churn is likely to come in the spring window, Watts is confident DeBoer and Co. can keep the Crimson Tide roster as talented as necessary.

“One thing about Alabama is they’re still getting to know their roster, right? They’ve had a week with them to see them in pads, on the field. What works, what doesn’t work. And you know what? Some people won’t like the new system. Some people will love the new system. So there’s a lot of jockeying going back and forth. But the one thing I am pretty confident about, I think Kalen DeBoer and his staff are going to be able to field a good roster when it comes to August. I think they’re going to have a lot of talent on the field, especially from the needs they feel they have.”