Player development be damned, quick fixes are the norm in college football roster building. There are a few exceptions. Two of the few are Alabama and Georgia, which are not seduced by roster makeovers with large numbers of transfer additions.
Kalen DeBoer has embraced the reality that his team will be younger than last season. Alabama added fewer transfer players than it lost. Although such counts in the 105 roster world can be confusing. DeBoer may still add more depth pieces. The Crimson Tide has excelled with DeBoer's 2025 and 2026 traditional signing classes. Per the 247Sports Composite, Alabama has the 2026 No. 2 class nationally, after the national No. 3 class in 2025. Georgia has had similar success with the No. 2 class in 2025 and the No. 6 class in 2026.
Seth Emerson recently pointed out that neither program is in The Athletic's Top 25 2026 Transfer Portal classes. He added that eight of last season's Playoff participants are in the Top 25 for transfers. Not making the Top 25 list, along with the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs, are Tulane and James Madison. Emerson does suggest that Alabama's "effort ... buck(ing) a trend" might "be an unwanted one."
Unwanted for Alabama or not, the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs are rolling the dice that elite teams can still be built without massive roster upheavals. The risk is considerable. Clemson's slide in recent seasons was the result of Dabo Swinney being too stubborn to embrace transfer realities. For Kalen DeBoer and Kirby Smart, a slide to dinosaur status would not come from total program collapses. Slipping to no longer being annual national championship contenders would be enough. Many argue that Alabama Football is there already.
Emerson provided interesting numbers that suggest that Alabama's lost production from the 2025 season has a counterbalance. In transfer exits and additions, Alabama lost 8,810 career snaps, but added 12,169. Alabama lost 55 career starts and added 150. Georgia's transfer results produced a similar added experience situation.
Alabama Football Fans Ask
Alabama Crimson Tide fans hope that Kalen DeBoer has found a roster-rebuild solution not driven by having to get by with fewer NIL dollars. Can such an approach work in 2026 and in the long term? Answers will come in the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Until then, DeBoer and Kirby Smart are test cases for what is possible and what is probable in college football.