Thousands of players entered the transfer portal during the 10-day spring window, but not a single one was a scholarship player for Alabama football.
The portal window closed Friday, and the Crimson Tide had retained all of its scholarship players, a source with knowledge of transfer portal movement confirmed to AL.com. Friday was the last day to submit paperwork, so a name could pop up in the transfer portal after that date. But Alabama did not have any scholarship players fall into that category.
That makes the Crimson Tide the only program in the SEC that did not have at least one scholarship player enter the transfer portal in the spring window, according to AL.com
That’s significant for the Crimson Tide to retain its starters but also its depth. Having robust depth has become more and more difficult in the transfer portal/NIL era because other teams will often pay depth players more money to come start elsewhere.
“I think we did a really good job of managing the roster, especially with kind of areas that we need to open up and make room for guys coming in, and just find that right mix of guys that are returning with newcomers that came on board,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said April 17 in Mobile.
With no scholarship players entering the transfer portal in this cycle, Alabama retained all three of its quarterbacks: Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell.
Right before the transfer portal opened, Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb spoke to local reporters and shared if the season started then, Simpson would be the starting quarterback.
“Austin Mack made huge strides and also available reps were the same, and he did a really good job,” Grubb said. “He came out and developed. Just was some of the nuisances and taking care of the football and things like that that Ty showed out a little bit better.”
The initial question emerged from what Grubb shared: Would Mack stay? Or would he look to go somewhere else?
Turns out, Mack isn’t going anywhere. He’s staying and competing and continuing to develop under Grubb, DeBoer, quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan and company.
Meanwhile, Alabama has added two tight ends in the transfer portal so far in West Virginia’s Jack Sammarco and Troy’s Brody Dalton.
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for Follow him on X and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
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