The 2024 college football season is rapidly approaching, and fans are eager to watch their favorite teams take the field with a blank record, a clean slate, and a chance to make the College Football Playoffs and compete for a national championship. One team fans from across the country will have their eyes on is the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The offseason started off rough for Crimson Tide fans, as legendary head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement and the program was sent into a frenzy as the search for a replacement for the greatest of all time commenced.
Though Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne made a strong hire in former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer, fans were concerned about his ability to fill the mighty shoes left behind by Saban and the numerous high-profile, key contributors from the Crimson Tide’s 2023 roster.
Initially losing players to the transfer portal Caleb Downs (to the Ohio State Buckeyes), Isaiah Bond (to the Texas Longhorns) and Kadyn Proctor (to the Iowa Hawkeyes… temporarily), there was fear that a mass exodus would follow.
Fortunately for DeBoer and Alabama fans, there wasn’t a steady flow of players exiting the program, and one of the three players mentioned above, Proctor, ended up transferring back to the Crimson Tide program in the spring transfer portal window.
The Tide coaching staff didn’t just suffer losses from the transfer portal, a handful of immediate starters for the program transferred in, as well as some young, talented players who could contribute in the next few seasons.
Andy Staples of On3 recently revealed his latest college football Top-25 rankings following the conclusion of the spring transfer portal. While there are a lot of drastic changes going on in Tuscaloosa, Staples isn’t convinced that it is going to lead to the program’s downfall. He has DeBoer and Alabama ranked No. 3, behind only No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 1 Ohio State.
“That first weekend felt a little touch and go, but since then Kalen DeBoer has done just about everything right as he tries to replace the greatest of all time. Nick Saban left DeBoer a pretty spectacular roster, and DeBoer added to it with some of his favorite former Washington players.
“Getting offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor back from Iowa was huge for Alabama, and while there’s no sugarcoating the loss of Downs, getting Keon Sabb from Michigan to play alongside veteran Malachi Moore should help Alabama’s secondary remain formidable.”
The 2024 regular season may prove to be challenging for DeBoer in his first season at the helm of the historic program, but iron sharpens iron, and it’s impossible to build an impressive resumé without obtaining some impressive wins.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news and projections as the 2024 college football season approaches.
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