Four Alabama Players Longhorns Should Hope to Enter Transfer Portal After Nick Saban Retirement
Following the news that Alabama's legendary head coach Nick Saban is retiring, two main storylines are overtaking the college football news cycle. The first is of course who will be the next head coach of the Crimson Tide, and the second is regarding Alabama players entering the transfer portal.
Being that the transfer portal window has passed, the rest of the players in and around college football are currently locked into their current program until the spring portal window. However, for a program like Alabama, and likely the program from which the new head coach leaves to take the Alabama gig, those players will have a 30-day window to transfer freely.
Dating back to 2020, Saban and his staff pulled in three classes that ranked No. 2 in the country while the other two ranked No. 1 in the country. Meaning, there is a plethora of talented players currently sitting in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that may be reconsidering their future with the program. Now, as of right now, there hasn't been a player pop-up in the portal yet, which could mean they are waiting for the next head coach, or it hasn't appeared in the database yet.
However, that doesn't mean there aren't a handful of players that a program like Texas wouldn't love to have. So, here are four players that the Longhorns would likely love to enter the transfer portal, in order to pursue them and bolster their roster.
Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond
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Isaiah Bond, WR
Do the Longhorns already have one transfer and a five-star recruit coming in at this position? Yes. However, in an offense like Steve Sarkisian's, it never hurts to have another weapon. The Longhorns are losing three top receivers and tight end to the NFL, meaning there is a ton of production that needs to be replaced. Isaiah Bond emerged as Alabama's most reliable target, leading the team in catches and offering a big-play threat that every team would love to have. He would likely fit in seamlessly, and getting another target for Quinn Ewers wouldn't be the worst idea.
Alabama defensive lineman Tim Keenan
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Tim Keenan III, DL
The Texas Longhorns lost both T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II to the NFL Draft, which will be a massive blow for the defense. They were elite at stopping the run and causing havoc, which is something that Tim Keenan III did in his first year as a starter at Alabama. His first two seasons were plagued by injury, but he ended up carving out a starting role for himself and has another level to hit. The Longhorns need big physical linemen to survive in the SEC, and there's no better place to snag one from.
Alabama quarterback Julain Sayin
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Julian Sayin, QB
Unfortunately for Sayin, he was on campus for about 30 seconds before Saban ended up retiring. The five-star quarterback from the 2024 class who won the Elite 11 MVP clearly didn't mind sitting and waiting his turn with Jalen Milroe having established himself as the starter.
While Texas likely doesn't really need another backup quarterback at this time, having a quarterback room consisting of Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning, and Sayin would be similar to the iconic Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts, and Mac Jones one at Alabama.
The Longhorns waited around a decade for quality quarterback play from Sam Ehlinger, and likely never want to have to go through that drought again of subpar quarterbacking.
Alabama safety Caleb Downs
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Caleb Downs, S
The former five-star may instantly be the hottest commodity in the portal should he enter. He was both SEC newcomer and freshman of the year, and was also awarded the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. The Longhorns already landed one veteran safety, but could use another playmaker on the back end as their passing defense was one of their few weaknesses. To make matters better, Downs would be in town for at least a couple of years before going pro, so he wouldn't even be a one-year rental.
