Adding more experience at that spot will be a priority in the spring portal window, but the coaching staff might feel better about where the position is after a full spring of high-level reps for those young players.
Alabama’s 81 scholarships are four short of the 85-man NCAA limit. That’s significant because the coaching staff will be able to immediately target and pursue spring portal entries knowing there’s space on the roster. The spring portal window has been a helpful tool for Alabama in past years with players like Jameson Williams in 2021 and Jaylen Key and Amos a year ago. Those four remaining spots will be crucial in plugging the holes in positions of need, and Alabama will be a premier destination for high-level portal entries. Should Alabama fill those remaining spots, the difference in departures (39) and additions (38) will be just one player.
As it stands today, the projection is that Alabama will have four returning starters on offense (Tyler Booker, CJ Dippre, Jalen Milroe, Jaeden Roberts) and five on defense (Jihaad Campbell, Tim Keenan III, Deontae Lawson, Malachi Moore, Jaheim Oatis) plus punter
high level — NC State (10th) and TCU (13th) have two of the highest-rated portal classes in the 2024 cycle. The upcoming spring portal window is perhaps the most critical one for Alabama since its inception; those two experienced pieces alongside general manager Courtney Morgan suggest Alabama will be positioned for success when the portal opens on April 15.
The transfer portal might become a larger priority under DeBoer but recruiting high school talent will remain the lifeblood of the program. The re-addition of five-star wide receiver Ryan Williams to the 2024 class is one of DeBoer’s biggest moments at Alabama to date — Saban and former assistants Holmon Wiggins and Travaris
Robinson, all main fixtures of
