Transfer Portal: Alabama’s A-Day could sort some things out, but…

The transferring nuttiness officially begins next week.

The College Football Spring Transfer Portal is open for 15 days beginning Tuesday, April 16 and closing again on Tuesday, April 30. Players can enter the TP but are not required to decide on a destination within those two weeks. Graduate transfers must be submitted through the portal by May 1.

One of the most unusual aspects of this schedule is that numerous programs have their Spring Games during or after this time period. Another seamless maneuver by the NCAA. This category includes the following FBS teams:

Thursday, April 18

• Indiana

Friday, April 19

• Jacksonville State
• Louisville

Saturday, April 20

• Arkansas State
• Baylor
• Boise
• Cal
• Charlotte
• Colorado State
• Duke
• Florida State
• Georgia Southern
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Iowa State
• James Madison
• Marshall
• Memphis
• Michigan
• Michigan State
• Mississippi State
• North Carolina
• Notre Dame
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon State
• San Diego State
• South Alabama
• South Carolina
• Southern Cal
• Stanford
• Syracuse
• Texas
• Texas A&M
• Texas Tech
• Tulane
• ULL
• ULM
• Utah State
• UTEP
• Virginia
• Wake Forest
• Western Michigan
• WKU

Sunday, April 21

• UConn

Friday, April 26

• Arizona State

Saturday, April 27

• Akron
• Arizona
• Buffalo
• Colorado
• Fresno
• Kent State
• Louisiana Tech
• Maryland
• Nebraska
• Northern Illinois
• Oklahoma State
• Oregon
• Rutgers
• San Jose State
• TCU
• Troy
• UCLA
• UMass
• Washington State
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

Friday, May 3

• Washington

WHAT POSITIONS MIGHT ALABAMA LOOK FOR IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL?

The following is sheer guesswork. Things could change if Alabama loses many players at a specific position.

Quarterback: It is difficult to imagine the Tide picking up another signal caller unless more than one leaves Alabama. Given that Jalen Milroe is expected to leave after the upcoming season, it appears improbable that two quarterbacks will depart. If that happens, the Crimson Tide will be in a precarious scenario, with only two scholarship quarterbacks. Any transfer-in should be aware that he will most likely not be the starter in 2024.

Offensive Line: Following his brief stint with Iowa, Kadyn Proctor is no longer officially a member of the TP. However, Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz essentially torched any bridges for him. Proctor is expected to return the Crimson Tide this summer, but nothing is finalized yet. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that he will be granted a starting role, particularly in this dramatically different offense. Even if Proctor returns, Alabama may sign another offensive lineman, perhaps an experienced tackle like Tyler Steen, who can play right away.

Running Back: Bama is pretty solid in this department and will have Kevin Riley enrolling in the summer.

Wide Receiver: Despite having three freshmen receivers arrive later, Alabama could benefit from one extra senior receiver in this bunch. There always appear to be good pass catchers looking for the next greener pasture. Tetairoa McMillan (90 receptions, 1,402 yards, 10 touchdowns) of Arizona is one to watch. Brent Brennan, who went 34-48 at San Jose State, is the Wildcats’ new coach.

Tight End – Kalen DeBoer already added Josh Cuevas to the fold. Freshman Jay Lindsey’s arrival in the summer brings the total to six. That should be sufficient.

Defensive Line – Nick Saban deployed a 3-4 defense with three down linemen and four linebackers. Kane Wommack’s defense is a 4-2. In basic terms, this translates to the personnel that played the Jack and Sam roles last season are now considered defensive linemen or edge rushers known as the “Wolf” position. In turn, this means there is an overabundance of players to fight over these positions. Defensive end LT Overton is already coming in from TAMU.

Linebacker – Deontae Lawson (Mike) and Jihaad Campbell (Stinger, fka Sam) have the middle linebacker spots pretty much locked down. It doesn’t seem like there is much of a chance anyone wants to transfer in and sit behind two All-American candidates, but who knows? Some of the Wolf candidates may move to middle LB to shore up those numbers.

Safeties – Malachi Moore and Keon Sabb bring plenty of veteran experience to the Bama secondary. Both of those two are very versatile and can easily switch other positions if needed. Between free safety, Rover, and Husky one more player needs to emerge. There seem enough candidates to fill that need, but we’ll see how A-Day goes.

Cornerbacks – Domani Jackson has already transferred in and probably locks down the boundary corner spot. The field corner is probably going to be manned by a redshirt or true freshman, but – WOW – what a lot to choose from. Nick Saban signed three five stars to this new class. While there is room for optimism, this group could probably use another warm body.

Special Teams – Doubtful.

Of note, once a player enters the portal, the original school no longer has to honor the athletic scholarship originally given to him. Should he return to that school, he is not obligated to get another scholarship.

The 2024 Alabama A-Day Game will be played on Saturday, April 13 at 3 p.m. CT in Bryant-Denny Stadium and aired on ESPN.