Alabama Football expects to boast a talented collective of defensive backs in 2023, but the unit currently lacks depth.
The position group experienced major turnover this offseason, and saw three starters chosen in last week’s NFL Draft.
Additionally, a pair of late-spring transfers that exited shortly before A-Day left the secondary relatively thin. Will Coach Nick Saban turn to the portal to supplement his secondary?
One of the outgoing transfers was redshirt junior cornerback Jahquez Robinson, who figured to play an increased (albeit still reserve) role this fall. Robinson recently announced his intention to transfer to Colorado, reuniting with former Alabama linebacker Demouy Kennedy.
Robinson will compete against the top-ranked cornerbacks in each of the last two recruiting cycles in Travis Hunter (2022) and Cormani McClain (2023). The Bama transfer figures to be the old man in the room, and should fight for a starting spot.
While Robinson doesn’t necessarily have the requisite game experience to immediately lay claim to a starting role, he has been a part of a winning culture in the Alabama Football program for the last three seasons. That has to count for something, especially when he will be competing against such young players.
Still, Hunter and McClain are likely the two most talented and lauded players on the Colorado roster. With the Buffaloes experiencing unprecedented levels of exodus via the NCAA transfer portal, Coach Deion Sanders is looking to acquire depth at virtually every position.
Will Jahquez Robinson be just a depth piece in Boulder? It remains to be seen, but that would be the exact role he recently left behind in Tuscaloosa.
Does Alabama Football make any more portal additions?
With limited depth in the secondary for Alabama football, Coach Nick Saban appears open to the possibility of adding an experienced player via the transfer portal. Most of Bama’s backups in its defensive back rooms are true freshmen, so adding a veteran could help in a multitude of ways.
The Crimson Tide got a visit last week from UAB safety transfer Jaylen Key, an in-state player who could fill a need for Bama. Key named Alabama Football as one of his finalists, in addition to Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, North Carolina, and Florida State.
He is a big safety with impressive physical tools and good production, although the sample size is small. Key cracked the Blazers starting lineup in 2022 after being seldom-used in the previous three seasons. He made 60 tackles and nabbed three interceptions last fall, and now looks to take his talents to the Power Five level.
It will be interesting to see how Jaylen Key’s recruitment plays out, as well as if Alabama Football chooses to pursue any other defensive back transfers.