![Alabama defensive back Kaine Williams (49) and Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal (73) hold up the trophy following the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal game at the 86th Cotton Bowl in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Friday, Dec. 31, 2021. Alabama defeated Cincinnati 27-6 to advance to the national championship game. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]College Football Playoffs Alabama Vs Cincinnati](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9c6ed7e177bcb360b63107ad517be7576d093834615d382be707b4c20b2fcec7.jpg "Alabama defensive back Kaine Williams (49) and Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal (73) hold up the trophy following the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal game at the 86th Cotton Bowl in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Friday, Dec. 31, 2021. Alabama defeated Cincinnati 27-6 to advance to the national championship game. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]College Football Playoffs Alabama Vs Cincinnati")
The Alabama football secondary is down to 15 players, with a former 4-Star recruit, Kaine Williams choosing to enter the Transfer Portal. The consensus opinion is with an exit by Williams, the 2022 Alabama Crimson Tide roster currently has 87 players.
The count of 87 presumes the only scholarship kicker for the Alabama Crimson Tide is Will Reichard. College football players have five more days to inform their teams of an intention to transfer.
The Crimson Tide roster will have more attrition. No one will be surprised if it also has at least one more addition. Nick Saban has not said the Alabama football staff is looking for another tight end. He has said there are concerns about depth among the current tight ends. When the summer enrollees join the Tide, the tight end group will be five players, with a sixth if Kendall Randolph is counted as a tight end, rather than an offensive lineman.
In recent days it has been rumored Utah tight end, Dalton Kincaid is poised to enter the Portal. If that is true, there is no proof he would consider Alabama or even that the Crimson Tide has any interest.
That will not stop speculation, including claims of tampering by Utah fans. Nor will it mean Nick Saban is finished adding players.
Presuming another transfer is added in the next few weeks, the Alabama roster (as of today) will still need to be trimmed by three players. In addition, grayshirts and blueshirts are still roster-building tools that might be utilized.
Alabama Football recruiting and Arch Manning
Has the recruiting of 5-Star, quarterback prospect, Arch Manning taken a turn? A recent story about Arch’s recruitment explained his high school coach, Nelson Stewart has been designated as the family spokesperson and gatekeeper.
For many years that was the standard structure for high school players. While such buffers are no longer in frequent use, apparently Stewart is just that for Arch and the Manning family.
According to Stewart, LSU coach Brian Kelly has made a positive impression on Arch. LSU message boards now claim the Bengal Tigers have risen to equal standing with Alabama, Texas and Georgia to gain the young gunslinger.
Maybe that is true and maybe not. The pressure on Arch to remain instate must be immense. It could be that paying lip service to LSU now is a wise choice for the Manning family. We do know Joe Burrow has been helping LSU recruit another 5-Star, QB prospect in Dante Moore.
There have been no recent indications Arch Manning is in any hurry to make his college decision.