Alabama suffered a devastating blow to its defensive line on Tuesday.
Following his high school teammate Qua Russaw, former 5-star DT James Smith, who started 12 games for the Crimson Tide in 2025, has decided to enter the Transfer Portal:
Alabama starting defensive lineman James Smith has entered the transfer portal, @chris_hummer and I have learned.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 6, 2026
Former five-star recruit who posted 26 tackles and 2.5 sacks this season. pic.twitter.com/ztqS08r0D1
Smith is the biggest loss for Alabama in the portal to date, even more so than Russaw. Smith was set to be the lone returning starter on the Crimson Tide's defensive line next season with Tim Keenan and LT Overton exhausting their eligibility.
The 6-foot-3, 297-pound junior had a breakout third season for Alabama, registering 6.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks. He was thought by some to potentially be weighing an NFL Draft decision, with many thinking one more year of development could turn him into one of the nation's top interior defensive linemen.
That will now happen elsewhere.
James Smith is a major loss for Alabama in the Transfer Portal
Smith's decision to leave comes a day after Russaw made the same decision. They were high school teammates and are close friends and would seemingly be a package deal with their next school. They will both command massive interest from programs across the country, and they are major losses for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama will be in the market for several defensive linemen in the Transfer Portal. Both Edric Hill and London Simmons emerged as quality options on the defensive interior this season, and both could be in line to start on the inside next season. Steve Mboumoua is another intriguing young player with a lot of power who could carve out a role.
Alabama's top target on the defensive line is USC's Devan Thompkins. He's in Tuscaloosa for a visit right now, and Kalen DeBoer and company will look to lock down his commitment before he leaves.
The only other known target on the defensive line so far is Auburn's Malik Blockton, though others are sure to emerge in the coming days.
You can follow all of Alabama's Transfer Portal activity by following this link.