Category: Alabama Crimson Tide

Kalen DeBoer speaks with Finebaum on transition to Alabama

Alabama’s new coach spoke with Paul Finebaum on arriving in Tuscaloosa and his excitement for the future.

Alabama’s new head coach Kalen DeBoer went on the Paul Finebaum Show to discuss leaving Washington and becoming the successor to Nick Saban. In the 2023 season, DeBoer led the Huskies to a 14-1 season, where they lost to Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship 34-13.

In the interview, DeBoer spoke about the city of Tuscaloosa and his first impressions. “Football at Alabama, it brings people together,” he said, discussing his arrival at Alabama and the warm welcome he and his family received.

DeBoer has been adamant about his appreciation for Nick Saban, granting him an “open-door policy.” Coach stated that taking the Alabama job was a “great opportunity for us to build on the foundation that [Saban] has left.” The new coach went on to say that Nick is always welcome, and DeBoer will be open to any tips and pointers that Saban has for him.

While fans will not know if DeBoer was the right hire until the 2024 season kicks off, there should be comfort found in his determination to continue the program down the path the great coach paved.

Reacting to Yahoo Sports’ SEC football stadium rankings

Yahoo was very judicious with its choice of who to leave out. Two teams hail from the SEC East and two from the West.

Yahoo Sports recently ranked all the Southeastern Conference football stadiums from one to 10, excluding the bottom four.

The rankings were chosen based on the SEC as presently constructed, so apologies to fans of the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma, you all will have to wait until August to be included.

Yahoo was very judicious with its choice of who to leave out. Two teams hail from the SEC East and two from the West. Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt were left on the outside looking in.

Therefore, if you’re a fan of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Kroger Field, Davis Wade Stadium or FirstBank Stadium, you likely have an axe to grind with Yahoo Sports, not us. For what it’s worth though, they weren’t necessarily wrong.

In descending order, let’s find out where Texas A&M‘s Kyle Field in Aggieland ranks among the best conference in college football.

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Five-star signee Julian Sayin expected to enter the transfer portal

The second 2024 signee from Alabama’s class plans to enter the transfer portal.

The second signee of the 2024 Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting class is expected to enter the transfer portal following Nick Saban’s retirement. Five-star quarterback Julian Sayin, who ranked as the No. 1 passer in the country according to 247Sports composite rankings.

The mad dash to try and secure the commitment will be like one we haven’t seen before. Sayin was expected to sit and learn this upcoming year with Jalen Milroe returning to the Tide, but the sudden retirement has thrown a wrench into the plans of the Alabama football program.

Earlier this week, fellow 2024 signee, Jameer Grimsley entered the transfer portal.

The move leaves the Alabama quarterback room down to four players with Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, Dylan Lonergan, and Austin Mack. This move doesn’t leave the cupboard bare but it is another major move for the rest of college football. According to Thamel, Sayin will explore his options after enrolling at Alabama in January.

Check out Roll Tide Wire for more on Alabama.

No surprise here, Austin Mack commits to DeBoer and Alabama

Alabama gets some good news with a new addition to the roster.

When Austin Mack entered the transfer portal following the departure of head coach Kalen DeBoer, no one was surprised by the move. DeBoer has been very vocal about the future of Mack and now the 6-foot-6-inch quarterback is following his head coach to Alabama. Another not-so-shocking development.

The freshman quarterback didn’t see any action during the 2023 season where the Washington Huskies finished 14-1 and the runner-up to the Michigan Wolverines in the CFP. Mack will have four years of eligibility and was seen as the expected starter for Washington in 2024. Is he still going to get a fair shot at starting for the Tide?

Mack will likely go into a quarterback battle for the starting job in 2024 against incumbent starter, Jalen Milroe. After a slow start to the 2023 season, including a benching after the Texas game, Milroe caught fire leading Alabama to the SEC title and CFP berth. It would be quite the battle for these two to duke it out over the next several months leading up to the 2024 season.

Mack joined Washington as part of the 2023 recruiting cycle. He was ranked as the No. 8 quarterback in the country out of Folsom, California. The four-star prospect was ranked as the No. 214 player in the country according to 247Sports composite ranking.

This is a bit of welcomed news for the Tide after the mass exodus that has occured in the wake of Nick Saban’s retirement announcement.

Alabama 2024 football signee enters transfer portal

Alabama 2024 football signee enters transfer portal

The first member of Alabama’s 2024 recruiting class officially entered the transfer portal Thursday afternoon according to reports, as Jameer Grimsley has announced his intentions to search for new opportunities in 2024.

An incoming freshman who enrolled at Alabama earlier this month, Grimsley is the latest Crimson Tide player to enter the transfer portal after former head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement, as well as the first member of the 2024 class. Grimsley is also

Grimsley came to Alabama rated as a four-star athlete in the 2024 class out of Tampa Catholic High School in Florida. According to the 247Sports Composite, Grimsley was also considered the No. 189 overall player in the 2024 class, as well as the No. 24 player in the state of Florida.

At 6-foot-3, Grimsley saw time on both sides of the ball in high school but was likely set to play cornerback with the Crimson Tide. Grimsley will have four years of eligibility remaining.

Alabama star freshman tackle to transfer with Iowa listed as a school to watch

Kadyn Proctor, the top offensive tackle and a top-5 overall recruit from the class of 2023, started every game for the Crimson Tide in 2023.

The mass exodus from Tuscaloosa continues in the wake of Nick Saban’s retirement, and this one might be the most damaging loss.

Freshman Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor is expected to enter the transfer portal, according to a Wednesday report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Proctor announced the decision himself on social media around the same time.

Proctor started every game for the Crimson Tide as a true freshman in 2023, and he was named to the Freshman All-American team. He was the top offensive tackle, the second-highest non-quarterback, and a top-five overall prospect in 247Sports’ Class of 2023 rankings.

Zenitz included that Iowa would be a name to watch in Proctor’s recruitment, with 247Sports’ Chris Hummer and David Eickholt already dropping Crystal Ball predictions that Proctor would end up with the Hawkeyes.

Proctor immediately becomes the best offensive lineman and one of the best overall players to hit the portal this cycle. His announcement comes hours after star defensive back Caleb Downs, another impactful 2023 freshman, announced he’d leave the Crimson Tide.

Alabama star safety Caleb Downs set to enter transfer portal

Alabama star safety Caleb Downs is starting the process of entering the NCAA Transfer Portal. The SEC Freshman of the Year’s decision comes soon after Nick Saban’s retirement.

Alabama Crimson Tide star safety Caleb Downs is starting the process of entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Downs’ decision to enter the transfer portal comes a week after legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement.

In his first season with the Crimson Tide, Downs became one of the best safeties in the nation. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year.

Downs also earned first-team All-SEC honors and first-team All-American honors from Pro Football Focus.

The safety led his team in tackles as a freshman. Downs totaled 107 tackles with 3.5 TFLs, 5 passes defended, 2 interceptions, and a forced fumble last season.

Downs joins several other Alabama players who have entered the transfer portal following Saban’s decision to retire. Dezz Ricks, a former top defensive back recruit from the same recruiting class as Downs committed to Texas A&M, and wide receiver Isaiah Bond recently committed to Texas.

Alabama’s new head coach Kalen DeBoer was named the successor to Saban on Jan. 12. DeBoer will look to replace the talent entering the portal from the Crimson Tide.

Former Alabama receiver and Iron Bowl hero commits to Texas

Isaiah Bond, the sophomore who caught the game-winning touchdown on fourth down against Auburn, will stay in the SEC for 2024.

Former Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond found his new home, as On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported on Sunday that he had committed to Texas.

Bond caught 65 passes for 888 yards and five touchdowns across his two seasons in Tuscaloosa. The former four-star prospect exploded as a sophomore this past season, leading the Crimson Tide with 48 receptions. His 668 receiving yards ranked second on the team behind wideout Jermaine Burton and 16th in the conference overall.

Bond did not surpass 100 yards in a game in 2023, but he came close a handful of times. He reached 75 receiving yards five different times, including a 96-yard game against Texas A&M and a 79-yard performance against Georgia in the conference title game.

Bond is most known for the big moments he came through in for the Crimson Tide. He made a crucial fourth-down catch in the title game against Georgia, and he famously came down with a 31-yard touchdown on fourth and goal against Auburn to keep Alabama’s playoff hopes alive.

Bond is one of the top receivers in the portal and will help replace the loss of Longhorns wideouts Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy, both of whom declared for the NFL draft.

Get more Texas coverage at Longhorns Wire.

Florida State adds two big-name SEC transfers including a Florida lineman

Just one day after head coach Mike Norvell signed an extension, the Seminoles brought in an Alabama running back and a Florida offensive lineman.

Just one day after Florida State announced head coach Mike Norvell signed an extension, the Seminoles reeled in two big transfers from the SEC, including one big rival.

Former Alabama running back Roydell Williams and former Florida offensive lineman Richie Leonard IV both committed to join Norvell in Tallahassee next season.

Williams spent the past four seasons with the Crimson Tide, rushing for 1,168 yards and 11 touchdowns in an Alabama uniform. His carries increased in each of his four seasons, culminating in his best season in 2023. He ran for 560 yards and five touchdowns on 111 carries, the highest single-season marks of his career in all three categories.

Leonard started every game for the Gators last season, and PFF credits him with 1,250 snaps across the past three seasons. He earned a pass-blocking grade of 63.7 and a run-blocking grade of 63.9 last season.

Both transfers will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer expected to be named Alabama’s next head coach

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, who won 25 games over the past two years, will reportedly replace Nick Saban at Alabama.

Alabama has reportedly found Nick Saban’s replacement.

Just two days after the seven-time national champion unexpectedly announced his retirement, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Friday that the Crimson Tide are in the final stages of negotiating with Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer to be the next Crimson Tide head coach.

The Huskies head coach led his team to 25 wins over the past two seasons, including 21 straight wins from the middle of the 2022 season until Monday’s national championship loss to Michigan. Only two teams won more games than Washington during DeBoer’s tenure.

The Huskies finished with 343.7 passing yards and 36.0 points per game, finishing second and 13th in the nation in the respective categories, and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. won the Maxwell Award and finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.

Before Washington, DeBoer spent two years as the Fresno State head coach in 2020-21. He went 12-6 in 18 games as the Bulldogs head coach.

DeBoer also spent time on the offensive staff of Indiana (2019) and Eastern Michigan (2014-16), and he was the head coach at Sioux Falls for five years. At just 49 years old, this will be his first coaching job in the SEC.

Get more Alabama coverage from Roll Tide Wire.