Perhaps the Transfer Portal subtraction that hurt the most for Alabama this year was starting DT James Smith, who opted to follow Qua Russaw into the portal, with both ending up in Columbus at Ohio State.
Smith was penciled in as a starter for the Crimson Tide in 2026, and unlike Russaw, has already positioned himself for the same with the Buckeyes.
If his departure didn't sting enough, Smith added some insult to injury on Thursday when discussing the differences between Ohio State and Alabama, raising further concerns about the Kalen DeBoer era in Tuscaloosa.
"It kind of gave me that feeling back when I visited as a freshman with Saban, it kind of felt like that," Smith said about Ohio State. ...I feel like the intensity is different. ...Everything is so intentional. Everything is already laid out. They have a new coaching staff at Bama, they're still trying to learn and stuff. Here it's already stable, they already know."
No reason to read much into James Smith's comments about Alabama
Perhaps there's something wrong in the water in Tuscaloos and the DeBoer era is doomed. It's certainly possible, and the third-year head coach has certainly not done enough with the Crimson Tide to be above criticism, but Smith's comments are pretty obviously lip service.
He's going to say things that put his new team into the best possible light because it endears him to their fanbase.
That, of course, won't stop Alabama fans who are fed up with DeBoer already from taking this quote and running with it. It also won't stop rival fans from doing the same and using this quote as further fuel that Alabama ain't what it used to be.
Whether or not that is true will be decided on the field this fall. Not on a random day in March when an Alabama transfer is trying to paint himself in the best light possible with his new fanbase.