Grass isn't greener: Kalen DeBoer sends warning to Alabama players considering transfer

The spring Transfer Portal window is officially open for the next 10 days. Alabama football just concluded spring practice and will likely peruse the portal for some depth additions at a handful of spots. They aren't likely to be star chasing, but finding a player or two who could be a depth piece would be a nice luxury add for the Crimson Tide.

That, of course, is all dependent on what happens with Alabama's own roster over the coming days. It's certainly possible the Crimson Tide could have a need or two pop up out of nowhere due to a decision made by someone on the current roster to enter the Transfer Portal.

Alabama saw plenty of roster turnover in the winter portal window. That was expected, and the majority of the movement was encouraged by Kalen DeBoer and the coaching staff as they looked to officially flip the roster into a DeBoer roster and not a Saban one.

If there are any transfers out of Alabama in the spring window, it would not be a move encouraged by the coaching staff. And making a move in the spring isn't likely in the best interest of the player making the move.

Earlier this week, DeBoer spoke about the portal window and issued a warning to his Alabama players who might be tempted to hop in the portal because of their current standing on the depth chart or to seek a bigger NIL payday:

Alabama saw a major exodus last year following Nick Saban's retirement, and a lot of those players found out quickly that the grass wasn't greener on the other side of the fence. Particularly those players who chose to move down to Tallahassee and endured one of the worst seasons in recent Florida State football history.

Kadyn Proctor learned that quickly, too. He transferred to Iowa during the winter portal window a year ago only to re-enter the portal and return to Alabama in the spring window after he realized he made a mistake.

Nico Iamaleava's situation should be a warning to Alabama, everyone else in college football

This time last week, Nico Iamaleava was set to make $2.4 million this year and was the starting QB for a legitimate playoff contender at Tennessee. Now, Iamaleava is in the Transfer Portal and his market has shrunk completely.

Teams like USC and Notre Dame have publicly rebuffed any interest. Iamaleava was seeking a big raise, hoping to earn closer to $4 million in NIL money this year. Now, teams are reportedly holding out on Iamaleava to see if his price tag will come down closer to the $1 million range.

Chances are that Iamaleava is going to end up making less money next season on a worse team than he would have been on with the Volunteers. He received some awful advice from those closest to him, and his future is up in the air.

His situation should serve as a warning to Alabama players and everyone else around college football. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. If you're a top prospect, you stand to make a LOT more in the NFL than you are going to in college anyway. Situation matters more than a paycheck at this level. You want to be somewhere where you are going to be developed and have a chance to play meaningful football on the national stage to get noticed.

Don't throw away long-term success for short-term gains.