Alabama Football transfer portal addition tiers: Potential Game Changers

Alabama has added 14 scholarship players via the portal so far this offseason. It remains to be seen if the Tide will add any more; former South Alabama linebacker Khalil Jacobs still appears to be a target for the Bama coaching staff, who would have to find a way to make the scholarship numbers work to add him.

Regardless, Alabama’s transfer class is very solid as it is. The Crimson Tide seemingly filled all of its pressing needs, and was able to add some quality depth as well. 

However, five of the Tide’s transfer additions are instant-impact players who significantly change the floor and/or ceiling of the team. These are the difference-makers that could help push Alabama over the top this fall. 

Kadyn Proctor (LT, Iowa)

Perhaps Bama’s most important transfer was a player who wore Crimson & White just last fall. Proctor took his lumps as a true freshman at left tackle, but had made significant strides by the end of the season. After transferring to Iowa, his return to Tuscaloosa filled one of the biggest needs on the roster. Not only will he be a reliable starter at one of the most important positions on the field, but he could be one of the best tackles in the country.  

Parker Brailsford (C, Washington)

Similarly, Brailsford fills a massive need as a plug-and-play starter up front. Center and left tackle, the most valuable positions on the offensive line, were both major question marks for Alabama heading into the spring. The Tide didn’t just find its starters at those positions, it answered both questions resoundingly with two of the best players in the entire portal. The center position was a weakness at some points last season, and Brailsford, at least in theory, is an instant upgrade. 

Domani Jackson (CB, USC)

Bama’s cornerback cupboard was stripped bare by NFL Draft and transfer portal exits, but Jackson steps in to fill the void. The former 5-star and top-5 player in the nation should be the top corner on the roster, which is an incredibly difficult job in the SEC. Jackson is an elite athlete who garnered first round NFL Draft projections coming out of high school. If he can live up to that hype, he will go a long way towards helping Bama replace Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry. 

Germie Bernard (WR, Washington)

Bernard was one of the handful of players that Kalen DeBoer brought with him from Washington. Bama isn’t lacking for talent in its wide receiver room, but Bernard gives the unit an experienced player who already knows the offense. By most accounts, his ceiling is to become this team’s top receiver and a candidate to rack up 1,000+ yards. If he can reach that potential, he belongs in this category. 

Graham Nicholson (K, Miami OH)

It goes without saying that Nicholson fills a huge need. He comes on board as Alabama tries to replace one of the best kickers in college football history in Will Reichard. Like Proctor and Brailsford on the offensive line, Nicholson not only fills a starting role but should be a standout at his position. I won’t go so far as to say he is an upgrade over Reichard, but the reigning Lou Groza Award winner is the only kicker in the country for whom that argument could be made. 

While there could be other standouts to emerge from the transfer ranks, these five players are the most likely to be stars for the Crimson Tide this fall. Alabama will be dependent on their ability to perform at a high level.