Alabama Long Snapper David Bird Chooses to Enter Transfer Portal

Bird spent only one season with the Crimson Tide after transferring from Cal.

Dec 19, 2025; Norman, OK, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide long snapper David Bird (45) against the Oklahoma Sooners during the CFP National Playoff First Round at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Alabama junior long snapper David Bird, who replaced Kneeland Hibbett as the Crimson Tide's starting long snapper following a stint at Cal, has entered the transfer portal, which was first reported by Mike Rodak of Bama247.

Bird appeared in 25 career games with the Golden Bears before spending his junior season in Tuscaloosa. He played in all but one contest in the 2025-26 campaign, missing the home win against Eastern Illinois on Nov. 22.

Alabama had a need at the position after losing Hibbett, a four-year starter at long snapper. Bird, a Phoenix, Ariz., native, didn't have an errant snap during his previous stop at Cal. He was named to the Mannelly Award Watch List, an honor bestowed to the country's top long snapper, this past season.

The Crimson Tide program will be replacing starters at multiple key positions in Kalen DeBoer's third season as head coach, with the special teams unit being no exception. Punter Blake Doud, also a 2025 newcomer after transferring from Division II Colorado School of Mines, is out of eligibility following the Rose Bowl loss on Jan. 1. The multi-year consistency afforded by Hibbett and former punter James Burnip will not carry over into next season, since there will be new starting players at each of those spots after just one year.

Perhaps Bird's most infamous moment in his long season with the Crimson Tide occurred in a mid-November defeat at the hands of Oklahoma. Placekicker Conor Talty, after missing a field goal attempt to end the first half against the Sooners, let Bird hear it because he wasn't happy with the snap. The moment was captured by television cameras, and Alabama went on to lose that game by two points, snapping what had been an eight-game winning streak.

Bird was absent from the next weekend's game, the aforementioned Eastern Illinois matchup on Senior Day. In his absence, Talty was booed by Alabama fans inside Bryant-Denny Stadium after missing a 28-yard kick. Prior to the Rose Bowl meeting with Indiana, Talty shared that he was ashamed of having aired out his frustrations on a national stage.

Doud (who had holding duties), Bird and Talty executed the Crimson Tide's final scoring play perfectly in Pasadena, leading to a made field goal for Alabama's only points of the afternoon. Now, Bird will move forward by playing his senior season at the third school of his career.