Tag: jaylen mbakwe

Alabama cornerback withdraws from transfer portal, staying with Crimson Tide

The highly-touted Alabama freshman will now return to Tuscaloosa next fall.

After previously announcing that he would be entering the NCAA transfer portal Monday night, Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe according to reports will no longer be doing so, and will instead return to Tuscaloosa for the 2025 season.

Mbakwe, a true freshman, saw action in 11 games for the Crimson Tide this season at cornerback where he had 15 tackles, one TFL, one interception, and two PD. The true freshman also saw action on special teams, returning two punts for 46 yards.

Prior to Alabama, Mbakwe was a major piece of the Crimson Tide’s 2024 recruiting class where he was rated as a five-star prospect out of in-state Clay-Chalkville High School. The lone two players rated higher than the cornerback were Ryan Williams and Julian Sayin, the latter of which never appeared in a game at Alabama before transferring.

Mbakwe will now officially return to Alabama in 2025 where he is likely to see increased playing time next season.

Alabama cornerback, former 5-star prospect enters NCAA transfer portal

One of Alabama’s more surprising transfer portal entries occurred Monday night.

The transfer portal declarations continue to roll in for the Alabama Crimson Tide, with arguably no decision more shocking so far this cycle than what in fact occurred Monday night when true freshman cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe announced his intentions to exit the program.

Mbakwe’s transfer portal decision was announced Monday night according to multiple reports, with the true freshman shortly after releasing a statement.

During his freshman season, Mbakwe was primarily a backup at cornerback for the Crimson Tide, but did however still see a notable amount of action to post a stat line of 15 tackles, one TFL, one interception, and two PD. The cornerback also played a role on special teams, returning two punts for 46 yards.

Prior to Alabama, Mbakwe was a top name in the Crimson Tide’s 2024 class, rated as a five-star cornerback out of in-state Clay-Chalkville High School.

Mbakwe’s entry into the transfer portal now brings Alabama’s total for this cycle to 15, one of which is returning to the Crimson Tide.

Alabama CB Jaylen Mbakwe lists his top-five Alabama players of all-time

On a recent episode of the New Wave podcast, Alabama cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe listed his top-five Alabama football players of all-time.

Alabama Crimson Tide freshman cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe recently listed his top-five Alabama football players of all-time on a recent episode of the New Wave podcast. The podcast features both Mbakwe and freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams.

The five players that Mbakwe listed were Marlon Humphrey, Pat Surtain II, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Bryce Young, and Tua Tagovailoa. Each of which had successful careers for the Crimson Tide during their time as a college football player.

Mbakwe has already earned a starting role as Alabama’s punt returner. In addition, he has seen some playing time at cornerback through the first three games of the season. Alabama fans should be excited to see how Mbakwe grows and develops over the course of the next two and a half years.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama football program.

All incoming Alabama football freshman and transfer players numbers announced

Alabama football unveils new numbers for incoming players

The 2024 college football season is going to simply be pandemonium. From the 12-team playoffs to conference realignment to the rapidly changing NIL landscape, the sport is the Wild West right now.

For Alabama fans, that’s not even the main concern yet as we are still adapting to life post-[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag]. It must be said that new head coach [autotag]Kalen DeBoer[/autotag] has done an outstanding job since taking over less than two months ago, but still the shock of not seeing Saban on the sideline for the first time since the 2006 season will take some getting used to.

When you lose a legend of the game, there is naturally going to be some turnover and a bit of a drop-off, but DeBoer has certainly minimized that. This new Alabama coaching staff is shaping up to be one of the better ones in recent years, the roster stayed pretty well intact and DeBoer absolutely lit it up on the recruiting trail. Now, we are getting to see some of his work come to fruition as Alabama football announced the jersey numbers of the incoming players.

Of note, Washington QB transfer [autotag]Austin Mack[/autotag] will wear No. 10, [autotag]Domani Jackson[/autotag] No. 1, [autotag]Jaylen Mbakwe[/autotag] No. 9 and [autotag]Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.[/autotag] No. 21. It is also expected that incoming phenom wide receiver [autotag]Ryan Williams[/autotag] will be wearing No. 2 for the Crimson Tide.

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8 underclassmen that can play key roles for Alabama Football next season

Alabama has a lot of underclassmen that were highly-regarded coming out of high school. Roll Tide Wire takes a look at 10 underclassmen that can be key contributors for the Crimson Tide next season.

Each year, Alabama signs some of the top recruits in the country. There is no questioning the fact that Alabama has established depth from a talent standpoint. While it has not been proven by some, others have already solidified their spot as a starter and key contributor.

With that being the case, it will be interesting to see which players on the roster take on an increased role heading into next season. Throughout the spring and summer, it will be interesting to keep an eye on which underclassmen take strides towards being contributors during the 2024 season.

Roll Tide Wire takes a look at eight underclassmen that could play key roles for Alabama Football next season.

Top 5 recruiting wins for Alabama in the 2024 recruiting class

Here are some of Alabama football’s biggest wins from the 2024 recruiting class.

It took quite a bit of work for Alabama to hold on to some of the top recruits in the country for the 2024 recruiting class. After a coaching change, the general belief would be that numerous signees and current players on the roster would transfer or de-commit. That was not the case in a broader sense.

Alabama lost one signee from the 2024 recruiting class. Outside of that, the new coaching staff was able to sell the other signees on their futures as well as the future of the football program.

While the new coaching staff was not a factor in early national signing day, there were some key wins on the recruiting trail.

Roll Tide Wire takes a look at the top five recruiting wins in the  2024 recruiting class for the Alabama football program.

Alabama commit Jaylen Mbakwe says five-star WR Ryan Williams is a ‘lock’ to commit to the Crimson Tide

Alabama commit says that the Tide are a ‘lock’ to land five-star WR Ryan Williams

Following [autotag]Nick Saban’s[/autotag] shocking retirement, the past 12 days have been filled with decommitments and players entering the transfer portal. New head coach [autotag]Kalen DeBoer[/autotag] has done everything possible to keep the roster and recruits intact as much as possible, but it’s like trying to cover a gunshot wound with a band aid.

Fortunately, the worst of it has passed and DeBoer is growing into the role. He has done an exceptional job filling out the coaching staff moving forward and has a great foundation for a roster. There is still plenty of work to do on the recruiting trail and in the portal, but things are moving in the right direction.

Five-star wide receiver [autotag]Ryan Williams[/autotag] de-committed from the Tide following Saban’s retirement, but he certainly has not ruled Alabama out. Williams was back in Tuscaloosa over the weekend for a surprise visit and apparently it was a great trip for both parties. So much so that Alabama CB commit [autotag]Jaylen Mbakwe[/autotag], who was also in town for the weekend, said that Williams is a “lock” to commit to the Tide.

Williams is the No. 9 player in the 2024 recruiting cycle and the No. 4 WR in the class. Given the lack of experience at the WR position on the Tide’s depth chart, Williams will have a chance to compete for the Tide’s WR1 position as a true freshman. A lot of people have pointed out strong similarities between the recruitments of Williams and Julio Jones.

Predicting 5 early signees that will contribute as true freshmen

There is plenty of talent in Alabama’s 2024 recruiting class. Roll Tide Wire predicts five of Alabama’s early signees that will contribute as true freshmen next season.

Alabama seems always to have several players who  step up and make immediate impacts as true freshmen. In some cases, there are several that earn starting roles. In 2023, former five-stars Kadyn Proctor and Caleb Downs both started as true freshmen.

Alabama has one of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in the country for the 2024 recruiting class. There is talent to go around at every position. The Alabama coaching staff has done an excellent job of filling in holes at positions that will see turnover in the offseason.

Roll Tide Wire predicts five Alabama early signees that will contribute as true freshmen during the 2024-2025 season.

How did Alabama commits perform in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game?

Six Alabama commits participated in this year’s Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. Roll Tide Wire takes a look at how each of them perfomed on Saturday afternoon.

The Alabama football program was well-represented in the 2023 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. Six Alabama commits participated in the contest in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on Southern Miss’ campus.

Cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe, safety Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman, linebacker Quinton “QB” Reese, offensive lineman William Sanders, and wide receiver Ryan Williams competed for Team Alabama on Saturday afternoon.

It was an impressive showing for the Alabama commits and their teammates. Team Alabama knocked off Team Mississippi by a final score of 26-17.

Roll Tide Wire takes a closer look at how Alabama commits performed in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.

7 Alabama commits to participate in Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game

Seven Alabama commits will participate in the annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Game on Dec. 16

The Alabama football program is annually represented at the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. This year will be no different. Seven Alabama commits will suit up for Team Alabama in this year’s classic.

The seven Alabama commits that made the roster are Saraland wide receiver Ryan Williams, Clay-Chalkville cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe, Brookwood offensive lineman William Sanders, Gadsden City safety Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Central-Phenix City defensive lineman Isaia Faga, Ramsay linebacker Quinton “QB” Reese, and A.H. Parker defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman.

Several other Alabama targets that will be a part of the game are Tuscaloosa County running back Kevin Riley, Foley wide receiver Perry Thompson, Meridian (MS) running back Daniel Hill, and Houston (MS) defensive lineman William Echoles.

Saraland’s Ryan Williams (1) scores a touchdown against Clay-Chalkville during the AHSAA Class 6A football state championship game at Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Friday December 8, 2023.

This all-star game typically features some of the top talent in the south. Specifically, the Magnolia and Yellowhammer states. It always seems to be an interesting game between the two states. This year should be no exception.

I think it is safe to say that the Crimson Tide will be well-represented on both sides of the ball Saturday, Dec. 16th. The game will be played at Southern Mississippi’s M.M. Roberts Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding Alabama football recruiting news.