After landing Maryland transfer tight end CJ Dippre, where else could Alabama football seek to add experienced talent?
Many Alabama football fans would like to see Coach Nick Saban go into the portal for a quarterback, but we believe the QBs that are already on the roster are more than sufficient. The Crimson Tide also appear to be set at the offensive skill positions. You can never have too much speed in your receiver room, but it is certainly not a glaring need.
Alabama could still seek to add some experience to its offensive line. As it stands, the Tide will be young at guard and very young at the tackle spot opposite JC Latham. If Bama doesn’t bring in a portal offensive lineman, the tackle depth chart could feature a junior, a redshirt freshman, and three true freshmen.
Many of the highly sought-after offensive linemen in the portal have already chosen schools. Rhode Island transfer Ajani Cornelius (Oregon), Arizona State transfer LaDarius Henderson (Michigan), and UTEP transfer Jeremiah Byers (FSU), all received a lot of hype upon entering the portal.
The highest-ranked uncommitted offensive lineman currently in the portal is Gunner Britton, a veteran tackle from Western Kentucky. As the college football season gradually comes to an official end for teams around the nation, more players will begin to enter the portal.
Defensively, Alabama football is probably set in the front seven. It can be difficult to find transfer defensive linemen and linebackers that are ready to contribute in the SEC, and Alabama likely won’t find any better than the players it already has.
The Crimson Tide could certainly look to add depth and experience in the secondary, however. Bama will be pretty young on the back end, and some key NFL Draft decisions could quickly make the unit even younger.
Should Eli Ricks choose to pursue professional options, Alabama football will have some question marks at the cornerback spot opposite Kool-Aid McKinstry. Terrion Arnold did well in his opportunities as a redshirt freshman in 2022, but Arnold might be more of a safety than a corner.
Earl Little Jr. is very talented, but he missed a lot of time in his freshman season with injury. Alabama would be unwise to bank on true freshman corners filling starting roles, even as good as players like Desmond Ricks and Jahlil Hurley are.
The highest rated corner in the portal is Virginia transfer Fentrell Cypress II. Cypress II had 39 tackles and 14 pass breakups in his junior season, and was named second-team All-ACC.
Alabama football will likely add a few more players via the transfer portal, but Coach Saban will not rush into anything. Expect Bama to slow-play the portal, awaiting decisions from its own players before deciding where it could use some help.