Bama target Ed Woods set to announce transfer decision

Arizona State cornerback transfer Ed Woods is slated to make his decision on Tuesday, and will ultimately be deciding between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan State Spartans. 

Woods visited Tuscaloosa over the weekend and had plenty of good things to say about Alabama following his visit. He would be a huge pickup for a Tide defense that lacks experience at corner, but has lots of other proven pieces in place.

Kool-Aid McKinstry’s NFL departure after three seasons in the program was long anticipated, but the rapid development of Terrion Arnold and the transfer exit of Trey Amos among several others left the room very thin. Bama has an elite group of freshmen in the room, led by Zabien Brown who may be ready to claim a starting position by the fall. However, it does need to add some experience to solidify the unit. 

Ed Woods’ commitment is big considering Alabama has already missed on FSU transfer Greedy Vance, who landed at USC. Unfortunately, recruiting experts such as Pete Nakos and Steve Wiltfong of On3 have predicted that Woods will land in East Lansing with the Spartans. 

The Crimson Tide shouldn’t be counted out, but a contingency plan is certainly needed. Should Bama need to pivot, there are a handful of talented cornerbacks currently available in the portal.

Former 5-star recruit and Colorado transfer Cormani McClain tops the list, but may not be the best program fit for the Tide. Arizona transfer Tacario Davis is an intriguing prospect at 6’4”, and there is already a lot of West Coast and PAC-12 DNA on this Alabama Football team.

Texas transfer Terrance Brooks just entered the portal last week, but SEC rules would prohibit him from playing for the Tide in 2024. Along with Ed Woods, University of Albany transfer Aamir Hall rounds out the top-5 available corners. Hall would be an interesting addition coming from the FCS ranks, but he has a comparable transfer rating to Ed Woods and is ranked above several Power-5 corners. 

Keep an eye out for Woods’ commitment announcement today, but be aware that Alabama is probably having discussions with other options behind the scenes.