The rise of the transfer portal and NIL deals are shaking up college football, leaving even powerhouse programs like Alabama vulnerable.
Four words followed by emojis of a bullseye, an elephant and an exclamation point sent Alabama internet sleuths into action over a picture of him and fellow Tide rookie Jaylen Mbakwe sent a cryptic shiver down the spine of an already shaken fanbase. Welcome to transfer portal season -- the modern-day evolution akin to National Signing Days of the past. Only this is messier, less controllable and this year, humbling to the mightiest power from that bygone era.
Rattles loyalties and fans’ desire to grow attached to young stars when even the deepest connections can be uprooted.Neither look great for Alabama more than a week after the lid lifted last Monday from the free-agent gateway. As of Tuesday afternoon, 14 Crimson Tide players from the 2024 roster either took the exit ramp or hit the turn signal, indicating an imminent move.Casagrande: What did we just watch? There’s still a long way to go in this and the Crimson Tide has several high-profile portal inhabitants set to visit. So the turnstile will spin both ways.The days of stockpiling every top player at prime positions are over. The 2017 signing class isn’t possible in today’s environment. Alabama that year signed three of the top five receivers in 247Sports’ ranking. Each played their entire college career in Tuscaloosa before being drafted in the first round of various NFL drafts.Adding NIL enticements to the loosened transfer rules evened a playing field long tilted toward the Alabamas of college football. Where the Crimson Tide might sign and retain one of the top receivers and a few pretty good ones, SEC peers now have the resources to split up these power combos.That brings us back to the questions of loyalty and attaching oneself to a given roster. It’s where Mbakwe and Williams’ Instagram roller coaster left the chronically online with red eyes and a mouth full of vomi
TRANSFER PORTAL NIL ALABAMA FOOTBALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL LOYALTY
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