Alabama Crimson Tide gets one step closer to poaching an SEC starter still looking for a home in the transfer portal
Alabama can solidify its offensive turnover with one final transfer portal addition.
The Alabama Crimson Tide had a slow week for the first time since July. After a busy transfer portal window that saw plenty of winners and losers, the work is not done. Just because the portal has closed, doesn’t mean the commitments and signatures are over.
Wednesday in Tuscaloosa proved that, as Alabama is hosting an SEC starter who would solidify the team’s main goal for 2026.
Alabama is hosting Mississippi State OT Jayvin Jones to visit
The report that Jones is visiting Alabama first came from On3. After spending time at Akron and Maryland, Jones made the jump to the SEC with Mississippi State, where he started for the Bulldogs at LT in 2025.
He would immediately compete for a starting spot, but more importantly, he would signal a total overhaul of the offensive line in Tuscaloosa, something that was desperately needed after porous pass protection and a struggling run game in 2025. For more on the visit and what Jones would bring to Alabama, I spoke with Adam Holt of A to Z Sports College Football.
“Jayvin James was one of the starting pieces to the Bulldogs’ offensive line in 2025, but that is not particularly saying too much. State’s unit was amongst the worst in the SEC, and tackle play was a major concern for most of the season.
“Albert Reese was their best tackle, but he missed time due to injury. Quarterback Blake Shapen lost his job late in the season due to a multitude of factors, but the OL struggles put a spotlight on his lack of mobility, thrusting Kamario Taylor into action. James’ play had some notable highs, but overall, it is tough to expect him to become a high/profile SEC tackle at any point in his college career as of now.
“It’s also worth noting that I’ve heard James wasn’t particularly happy with the portal activity from State’s coaching staff when it comes to the OT market recently. That concern from him may have reached a new high with the reports of Jordan Seaton’s visit to Starkville late last week.
“While the Bulldogs don’t look like the most likely landing spot for the top portal OT, they’ve been aggressive in bringing in a plethora of portal tackles in for a visit. Mississippi State has also already added transfer OTs Miles McVay from North Carolina, Tyler Miller from LSU, Florida State’s Ja‘Elyne Matthews, and Oklahoma’s Isaiah Dent as well. While James didn’t perform at a level last year to lock down the LT spot for 2026, it’s clear he wanted that role set in stone during this offseason.” – Holt
Alabama Crimson Tide News
Alabama Crimson Tide receives best news of the transfer portal window following return of two critical starters on defense
Alabama returned two prominent starters on Tuesday.
