Alabama Football was in need of some secondary depth coming out of spring practice. This offseason, the Crimson Tide sent three safeties to the NFL and saw three cornerbacks head west via the transfer portal.
Khyree Jackson (Oregon) was passed up on the depth chart last season and left before the regular season had even concluded. Jahquez Robinson (Colorado) and Tre’Quon Fegans (USC) were perhaps more surprising, as they both departed just days before A-Day.
Alabama did not have a lot of depth at corner to begin with, so Robinson and Fegans likely would’ve seen playing time in some capacity.
With their departures, Coach Nick Saban went into the portal himself, landing Louisiana cornerback transfer Trey Amos. Amos is a good-sized corner who got valuable experience playing three seasons for Louisiana.
He has appeared in 30 career games, notching 59 tackles and 13 pass breakups. It will be interesting to see where he fits into this Alabama secondary. Is he a depth piece? Will he push Terrion Arnold for a starting role?
Either way, the cornerback room for Alabama Football just got a little better. Coach Nick Saban has always insisted on the value of competition, and has always strived to inject as much competition as possible into every position group. He did it two weeks ago when he added quarterback Tyler Buchner out of the portal, and he has done it again with the commitment of Trey Amos.
In my opinion, Amos’ most valuable trait that he brings to Tuscaloosa is his experience. Bama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry is highly experienced, but outside of him the position group is very green. Key reserves include true freshmen Dezz Ricks and Jahlil Hurley, who have never played a collegiate snap. Even presumed starter Terrion Arnold has only appeared in 11 career games.
Though he played at the G5 level, Trey Amos comes in with more game experience than Jahquez Robinson and Tre’Quon Fegans had combined. Ideally, he is able to help Bama’s talented young corners grow, if not become an impact player himself.
This was a big pickup for Alabama Football, and Coach Saban may not be done supplementing his secondary yet.
Alabama Football remains heavily in the mix for UAB safety transfer Jaylen Key, who released a top three list that included the Crimson Tide as well as FSU and Ole Miss.
The transfer portal has virtually eliminated the college football offseason, so stay tuned to Bama Hammer this summer to keep up with the news as Coach Saban continues to fine-tune his roster.