Alabama Fans In Panic Mode Over Top Players Entering Portal - So, Join The Rest Of The World

Just over two weeks after Alabama went to overtime against No. 1 Michigan on Jan. 1 in the College Football Playoff semifinal and nearly advanced to another national championship game, many Alabama fans have already had it.

It has been a rough 2024 so far for the Bama Nation. After that loss, Alabama legendary coach Nick Saban announced his retirement on Jan. 10. And three top players have basically retired from Alabama since Friday.

"I'm done. 2024 is trash," Bama fan Cayla Bone said on X on Wednesday after learning that one of the top freshman in college football - Alabama freshman safety Caleb Downs - entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Alabama Crimson Tide Star Caleb Downs Enters Portal

Downs is expected to transfer to Georgia, where his defensive backs coach at Alabama is. Travaris Robinson "transferred" from Alabama to Georgia to be a defensive co-coordinator. He may have liked to have that position on new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer's staff.

But DeBoer hired South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack instead.

Bone likely speaks for many Alabama fans. Downs was probably Alabama's best returning defensive player.

"This sucks man. People just poaching," Kenneth Cannon said Wednesday on X.

Alabama poaches players, too, and has done well at it since the NCAA began allowing transfers without sitting out in 2021. But this is Alabama. It can't happen both ways.

A caller to the Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday said Downs was not that smart.

Stud Offensive Tackle Kadyn Proctor Enters Transfer Portal

After Downs' portal entry, another top freshman from Alabama's class of 2023 entered the transfer portal - starting offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor. Both signed as five-star prospects at Alabama and each were No. 1 at their positions in the nation coming out of high school. And both had fabulous freshman seasons.

Downs won a national freshman of the year award after the 2023 regular season and took SEC Freshman of the Year. He also made the first unit of the All-SEC team and finished as Alabama's leader in tackles with 107. He intercepted two passes, broke up four and forced and recovered a fumble. Oh, and he returned four punts for 87 yards with a touchdown.

Proctor is a giant of a young man at 6-foot-8 and 365 pounds. He started all 14 games for Alabama last season and earned freshman All-American and All-SEC honors. He is or was literally a building block for the future of Alabama.

Before those two, Alabama top receiver Isaiah Bond hit the portal Friday. By Sunday, the sophomore had transferred to Texas.

"You absolutely don't like it," Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said on the Paul Finebaum show Wednesday. "You don't like it for the team."

Alabama Athletic Director Gary Byrne Reacts

Players can return to their previous school after entering the portal and testing the waters, if they decide not to transfer to another school. Often high profile players like Downs and Proctor enter the portal partly to see how much more Name, Image & Likeness money they can get by testing the NIL funds of their previous school and threatening to exit.

"It's part of it," Byrne said. "It's reality. NIL is part of it. We try to be progressive with our NIL approach. I'm wearing my 'Yea Alabama' pullover right now, which we've had almost 1,000 new members just since we announced coach DeBoer."

"Yea Alabama" is the Crimson Tide's collective that funds NIL money to players.

"We have to continue to get people to sign up and be a part of that because it's the world we're facing," Byrne said.

Alabama is still fighting for Downs and Proctor, if it's not too late.

"If a young man goes into the transfer portal, we try to be very transparent and talk with them through that and be strategic with them."

Could "strategic" mean $trategic?

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne (left) talks to a fan before a game. (Getty Images)

"And at the same time, too, we won’t fault somebody if they are interested in it (the portal)," Byrne said. "And I’ll tell you this. Alabama’s such a special place. The investment that we make for our young men and young women across the board for our sports and what we do from an academic support, medical support, mental health, nutrition, is as good as any place in the country."

Byrne kept selling.

"We’ve had young men and women transfer in here from very prominent universities and say, ‘My gosh, I had no idea how I was going to get treated at Alabama compared to where I came from,'" he said.

And as is often the case across the country, sometimes players transfer out of a school and later want to transfer back in, but there is no longer room at the Inn.

"They've called and said, 'I didn’t know how well I had it at Alabama,'" Byrne said. "We understand why they at times explore their options, and we try to be very transparent and honest with them during that time. That’s the best thing that we can do. But we say it with all the good intentions and the truth that we think this is the best place in the country for a student-athlete to come."

DeBoer does have a roster problem. Before Saban announced his retirement, 25 players had already entered the portal with many of those on their way to new schools. That's a whole signing class.

Maybe Nick Saban Can Help Stop The Transfer Portal Exits

Many of those were backups looking for playing time. But that group also included top players and/or top recruits like running back Roydell Williams (enrolled at Florida State), wide receiver Malik Benson (enrolled at Florida State), quarterback Eli Holstein (Pittsburgh commitment), wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks (Louisville commitment), center Seth McLaughlin (Ohio State commitment) and cornerback Dezz Ricks (Texas A&M commitment).

Saban is trying to help DeBoer re-recruit Alabama players in the portal back to Alabama while also bringing in transfers from other schools. Saban remains under contract at Alabama as an advisor and has a new office in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

"He and I talked this morning," Byrne said. "He has been very helpful, trying to talk to the young men that he's recruited here. This is where we're in a really good spot going forward. And he'll continue to be here and be a part of our program. Coach DeBoer has embraced that as he should. That's a great approach to take."

Because his roster is at stake.