Eligibility Tracker: Who's on the 2024 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Roster?
There's no way around it, it's been a brutal week in regards to the Alabama Crimson Tide roster. Granted, the predictable and typical roster turnover occurred shortly after its season wrapped up, with fans disappointed that the likes of Ja'Corey Brooks and Earl Little II were moving on.
But then Nick Saban retired and things went into overdrive. Every day has seemingly included another departure, with some more starters in the mix. With the transfer portal otherwise closed except for a 30-day window for players at schools where a coaching change occurred, and NIL in the mix, Alabama's been the equivalent of a sitting duck as rival coaches have been picking off Crimson Tide players left and right.
The good news for Alabama fans is that most of those who left were reserves, and/or players who saw what was coming up behind them on the depth chart. The loss of safety Caleb Downs was a huge loss, there's no denying that, and the secondary has been decimated.
But another way to look at it is the current roster is another example of just how great a recruiter Saban was.
By our count, and Alabama doesn't release scholarship numbers so it could be off by a player or two, there are 77 scholarship players still on the roster, even after 26 departures through the transfer portal. Among them are at least 14 players who were considered can't-miss 5-star talents (20 percent of roster) as incoming prospects.
Of course, the NCAA limit is 85 scholarship players on the active roster at any time. Alabama can still add players, including some from new head coach Kalen DeBoer's former program, Washington, which just played in the National Championship Game. While nearly all of the best players in the portal are already at their new schools, there are still some gems to be found.
The Crimson Tide will also have another shot when the portal re-opens following spring practices in April, although if things go well by then the new coaching staff may be only looking to fill certain roles.
Overall, there are five returning starters on offense, and at least four on defense. However, in many spots there are numerous players ready to step up, like running back and linebacker, where Saban had stockpiled some serious talent.
Two years ago, Saban signed what some called the best recruiting class in history (at least on paper), and then continued to add top prospects with top-ranked classes in both 2022 and 2023. May of those remaining have a golden opportunity to get on the field in 2024, maybe ahead of schedule.
Designations:
- * considered consensus top-32 player in his recruiting class (which essentially translates to five-star designation).
- A No. or [] designation means listed on the SI99 when SI.com covered recruiting.
- A ranking listed in () means from 247composite rankings.
2024 Alabama Crimson Tide Eligibility Tracker
Quarterbacks (4)
Running Backs (5)
Wide Receivers (10)
Tight Ends (6)
Offensive Linemen (13)
Defensive Linemen (14)
Linebackers (13)
Defensive Backs (11)
Special Teams
This story will be updated as necessary. It was last updated on January 22nd.
