Could Razorbacks Entertain Any Alabama Players in Portal?

Hogs have recent home run get from portal and there might be a few more available now

Author:
Andy Hodges
Updated:
Jan 13, 2024 9:32 AM EST
Original:
Jan 12, 2024

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas will be watching the transfer portal a little closer after Nick Saban retired this week. You can bet Sam Pittman noticed and probably at least started playing a little what-if in his mind. Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond was the first to jump in Friday.

The transfer portal allows any player on a team where a coach leaves to have a 30-day window open for him to leave for another school. New Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer's first recruiting job is going to be of players on the roster he just inherited.

The last Razorbacks' player out of the portal from Alabama was linebacker Drew Sanders. He worked it into a high NFL draft choice of the Denver Broncos back in April. He wasn't a big contributor in Tuscaloosa, but it was plain the way he even practiced it was a notch or two above what the Hogs did.

It will be a while before the dust settles at Alabama. Tide players will have until mid-February to mull things over. There will likely be several more who leave either by choice or because DeBoer has players who know his system coming in. A lot players went to Alabama solely because of Saban and the success he achieved over 17 years. DeBoer is just another guy recruiting them, and there will also be the fallout created by changes at position coach.

Bond is the type wide receiver new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino likes because he's big, fast and makes plays in the big games. There's absolutely no evidence anybody on the current Razorbacks' roster can do that consistently.

Pittman just needs help wherever he can find it. Of course that's if he can find a way to make the scholarship limit numbers work. A lot of teams are at the limit, and Saban likely knew that and figured the best time to make his departure was right after the window closed when a lot of those rosters would be full.

For a good enough player who's interested in being with the Hogs, Pittman would find a way to make it happen. It's going to be something to pay attention to over the next few weeks. Hope DeBoer didn't have a lot of sleep in his plans for awhile.