Portal losses one year later: How did former Alabama players fare in new stops?

Alabama football saw significant roster attrition following Nick Saban's retirement in January with a bevy of players entering the NCAA's Transfer Portal and moving on to new schools. Some of those players found immediate success while some found out rather quickly that the grass wasn't necessarily greener on the other side of the fence.

Some big names departed while Kalen DeBoer and company could only sit and watch other programs pillage his roster with the portal window closed everywhere but Tuscaloosa.

Let's take a look at each player who transferred and examine their 2024 seasons from the studs, the duds, and those it remains to be seen.

The Studs:

S Caleb Downs, Ohio State - All American and Thorpe Finalist.
C Seth McLaughlin, Ohio State - Rimington Award winner
WR Ja'Corey Brooks, Louisville - 61 catches, 1013 yards, 9 touchdowns
CB Trey Amos, Ole Miss - 47 tackles, 3 INT - All-SEC 1st Team
QB Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh - 62% completions, 2225 yards, 17 touchdowns, 7 INT's
C James Brockermeyer, TCU - starting center
CB Dezz Ricks, Texas A&M - 18 tackles, 1 INT - earned a starting role at corner late in the season

Ja'Corey Brooks, Eli Holstein, and James Brockermeyer probably needed to transfer in order to find playing time and likely weren't influenced by the coaching changeover. Brockermeyer actually stayed and went through spring practice before leaving for TCU. As good as Parker Brailsford was, he would've spent the year backing him up if he didn't move on.

Seth McLaughlin needed a change of scenery after the snap issues he had last season at Alabama. It worked out for both parties as McLaughlin had a great season for the Buckeyes and won the Rimington Award as the nation's top center. He unfortunately tore his Achilles tendon late in the season. With Brailsford, Alabama's center play was certainly an upgrade from a year ago and the Crimson Tide is getting him back for a second season in Tuscaloosa.

The ones that hurt from this group were Caleb Downs and Trey Amos. Both would have started and made significant impacts for the Crimson Tide, just as they did with their new teams. Downs was one of the best defensive players in the entire country and was a Thorpe Award finalist. He's exactly who we knew he was.

Amos had an outstanding season in Oxford for the Rebels, culminating in an All-SEC 1st team selection. He's shot up draft boards and looks like a legitimate NFL prospect.

The Duds:

The Florida State 5: RB Roydell Williams, WR Malik Benson, OG TJ Ferguson, DB Earl Little Jr., LB Shawn Murphy
WR Isaiah Bond, Texas - put up smaller numbers at Texas than Alabama. 33-532-5 this year at Texas vs. 48-668-4 at Alabama last season.
TE Amari Niblack, Texas - 5 catches, 33 yards - went from starter to reserve.
DL Isaiah Hastings, Syracuse - 5 total tackles
DL Anquin Barnes Jr., Colorado - 11 total tackles
DL Monkell Goodwine, South Carolina - 14 total tackles
LB Ian Jackson, UTSA - 2 total tackles
S Kristian Story, Kentucky - 28 total tackles, 1 INT
S Jake Pope, Georgia - no recorded stats
DL Khurtiss Perry, Virginia Tech - played 11 total snaps on defense, no stats. Back in portal.
DB Antonio Kite, Auburn - 6 tackles, 1 INT - kicked off the team and back in portal.

As you see, the duds significantly outweigh the studs. The surprising player on this list is Isaiah Bond, who left Alabama for a big NIL payday at Texas and in the hopes of playing in an offense that passed the ball more than the Crimson Tide with a running QB like Jalen Milroe.

And yet, while Bond scored an extra receiving touchdown, he's caught 15 fewer passes and has 136 fewer receiving yards than he did a year ago at Alabama. Bond started the year well in Austin, but hasn't had a game with more than 55 receiving yards since September.

Amari Niblack joined Bond in Austin, leaving Alabama as a starter to become Texas' third-string tight end, where he caught five passes all season.

The Florida State group all struggled as the Seminoles finished 2-10. Most disappointingly, Roydell Williams finished with just 53 yards on 26 carries for the full season. Williams transferred looking for a featured role in the backfield, but could never find his footing behind a porous offensive line. Williams only played in four games due to an undisclosed injury, so he could in theory get an extra year of eligibility and return to college for a sixth year either in Tallahassee or somewhere else.

Malik Benson was hoping for a bigger role at WR, and while his numbers improved from his lone season in Tuscaloosa, 25 catches, 311 yards, and a single touchdown wasn't what he had in mind.

Khurtiss Perry and Antonio Kite are already back in the portal in search of new teams. Perry due to a lack of playing time again and Kite because he was dismissed from Auburn in November.

To Be Determined:

QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State
WR Shazz Preston, Tulane
DB Jameer Grimsley, Florida
DB Peyton Woodyard, Oregon

It remains to be seen for these guys. Julian Sayin was a backup QB at Ohio State and saw action in a few games. He figures to contend for the Buckeyes starting QB job in 2025.

Jameer Grimsley and Peyton Woodyard were freshmen defensive backs who saw some action on defense and special teams for their programs and figure to have bigger roles next season.

Shazz Preston missed a good chunk of the season due to a hamstring injury, but flashed when he finally got on the field.