Alabama fans are learning what life without Nick Saban is like and it's not fun for them
Alabama Crimson Tide fans are learning what life is like without Nick Saban and it hasn't been a fun experience for them so far. A litany of Alabama players have entered the NCAA transfer portal since Saban's abrupt retirement last week, including safety Caleb Downs, wide receiver Isaiah Bond, and offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor. 28 […]
Alabama Crimson Tide fans are learning what life is like without Nick Saban and it hasn't been a fun experience for them so far.
A litany of Alabama players have entered the NCAA transfer portal since Saban's abrupt retirement last week, including safety Caleb Downs, wide receiver Isaiah Bond, and offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor.
28 Alabama players have entered the portal as of Wednesday afternoon.
(Alabama players have 30 days to enter the portal thanks to Saban's decision to retire. The same rule applies to Washington after Kalen DeBoer left to take over at Alabama.)
Alabama fans are not handling the portal losses very well. Some even want the rules changed as a result of what's happening in Tuscaloosa.
Funny, I don't recall much sympathy for Tennessee when they were hit the hardest by the transfer portal in the 2020-21 offseason (no FBS team lost more players to the portal that offseason).
I mean, Alabama will have a chance to add players from the portal via any team that loses their head coach in the coming weeks or has recently lost their head coach (like Washington, Arizona, San Jose State, or perhaps Michigan if Jim Harbaugh leaves Ann Arbor). And there will be another portal window that opens in April.
There's no rule that states that Alabama has to have a championship-caliber roster. Their fans, for the first time in 15 years, might just have to deal with having subpar talent — you know, like the rest of the SEC has had to deal with at times (outside of maybe LSU and Georgia).
Welcome to the real world, Alabama. Sometimes there's adversity you have to deal with. Instead of trying to change the rules, maybe you should be thankful for the 16 years that you had Nick Saban. And maybe prepare yourself for what 7-6 feels like, because that might be where you're heading in 2024 (it can be done despite losing a massive amount of players to the portal — just ask Josh Heupel how he did it in 2021 at Tennessee).
How much Alabama transfer DB Caleb Downs is expected to receive in NIL money after entering portal
Caleb Downs is gonna get paid
