The Transfer Portal has been a wild ride for Alabama so far, but Kalen DeBoer and GM Courtney Morgan have added several players who are going to contribute to the 2026 team.
While roster retention and high school recruiting continue to be a higher priority than the portal, that hasn't stopped the Crimson Tide from identifying areas of need and adding talented players to the roster.
To date, Alabama has added 12 players via the portal. There will be more to come. The deadline to enter is on Friday, the 16th, but commitments and signings will extend after that.
But in this initial burst of commitments, there are several players who will make immediate impacts on both sides of the ball. One, in particular, looks like a perfect fit for Alabama, with talent meeting opportunity.
Virginia Tech LB Caleb Woodson will be a star in Alabama's defense
One of the biggest needs Alabama had to address in the Transfer Portal was at the off-ball linebacker spot. With Deontae Lawson, Justin Jefferson, and Nikhai Hill-Green all exhausting their eligibility, the Crimson Tide lost its only real experienced linebackers.
There's talent in the room with youngsters like QB Reese, Cayden Jones, and Luke Metz, among others, who will be competing for playing time. But the Crimson Tide needed a veteran presence in the room who could come in and be an immediate impact player.
And that's what Woodson will be. He was a 16-game starter at Virginia Tech and the 6-foot-1, 230-pound former high school safety seems like a perfect fit in the middle of Kane Wommack's defense. Woodson was quickly identified as a strong fit for Alabama, and he quickly committed to the Tide on his visit.
Wommack's scheme asks a lot of his off-ball 'backers. You have to be able to close quickly and make plays in space against the run, but you also have to cover. Wommack doesn't love to blitz; he prefers to drop seven or right and only rush three or four. He plays a lot of zone, which leaves linebackers exposed in the middle of the field.
A guy like Woodson with his coverage skills is a godsend for Wommack. He'll be able to hold up there much better than the trio who manned the spots did this past season.
Woodson will have a lot asked of him for the Crimson Tide next season, but he'll also be in a position to make plays and take a star turn in Tuscaloosa.
Don't be surprised if the talented and athletic Virginia Tech transfer ends up as an All-SEC performer in the middle for Alabama.