Alabama Football: A good chance Nick Saban not finished with Transfer Portal

Nick Saban just keeps harvesting the benefits from what he warned college football about. The Alabama football roster got another addition Tuesday when former Vanderbilt Commodore, Tyler Steen announced he is joining the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Patience with Steen’s lengthy decision time paid off for the Tide. Steen has plenty of SEC starting experience from Vandy and is expected to compete for the Tide starting job at left tackle.

The tweet below is a good summary of Nick Saban’s Transfer Portal success.

As Nick Saban predicted,  the Transfer Portal is allowing college football’s rich to get richer.

There is an equally true result from the Portal. It is reducing the impact of recruiting misses, with the Portal quickly becoming as important as high school recruiting. Coaches from elite programs, and none more so than Nick Saban, can fill roster holes with proven college players rather than just relying on the development of high school signees.

In addition, the Portal gives many talented players an opportunity to enhance their playing careers with new teams, instead of being stuck in a team’s two or three-deep rotation.

Over the last few months, 12 former Crimson Tide players have used the Portal to find new teams. In the list provided below, many of those players will be immediate starters for their new teams. A few others are in the Portal and are yet to choose a team. It is likely two to four more Crimson Tide players will take advantage of the Portal before the May 1, decision deadline.

Will Nick Saban add another one or two players from the Portal? There is a good chance he will. Monday and Tuesday rumors were Lousiville wide receiver Tyler Harrell will be Tuscaloosa bound.

Even after possibly adding Harrell, Nick Saban may not be finished. Alabama needs another receiving threat at tight end. If the right player becomes available, Saban may make another addition. Even if the Tide does add six players through transfer, the number will be small compared to some SEC schools. LSU and Ole Miss, needing immediate roster improvement are both at 14 incoming transfers with Brian Kelly and Lane Kiffin seeking more. Florida, South Carolina, Missouri and Auburn also need a big boost of upgraded roster talent.

Alabama Football Transfer Players and New Teams

• RB, Camar Wheaton to SMU
• CB, Marcus Banks to Mississippi State
• LB, Jackson Bratton to UAB
• WR, Xavier Williams to Utah State
• LB, Drew Sanders to Arkansas
• OL, Tommy Brown to Colorado
• LB, Shane Lee to USC
• LB, King Mwikuta to Arkansas State
• QB, Paul Tyson to Arizona State
• OL, Pierce Quick to Georgia Tech
• TE, Jahleel Billingsley to Texas
• WR, Javon Baker to Kentucky

Other Crimson Tide players are in the Portal and hopefully, each one of them will find a better fit with more playing time.

As an aside, a few Alabama fans doubt Camar Wheaton ever actually made it to Tuscaloosa, after his protracted recruitment. He did, and good luck to him at SMU.