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The Tuscaloosa News
What Alabama football actually lost and gained in transfer portal at defensive back
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- What Alabama football actually lost and gained in transfer portal at defensive back
When Nick Saban retired in January, a group of Alabama football players not only lost their head coach but also essentially their position coach.
The defensive backs not only played for Saban as the CEO of the program but also as his unofficial position group. As a former defensive backs coach long before he was winning national championships, Saban continued to work with the secondary in practice throughout his entire 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa, alongside whatever secondary coaches Alabama also had on staff.
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So, it's no surprise that position saw more shuffling than most in the aftermath of the switch from Saban to Kalen DeBoer.
While there was a bit of a mass departure in the secondary, how much did the Crimson Tide actually lose in terms of production and experience? Here's a deep dive into the numbers for the 10 departures and the five additions, with data from the 2023 season based off statistics from ESPN and Pro Football Focus.
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KALEN DEBOER: Who is Kalen DeBoer? A collection of stories about the new Alabama football coach
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The number of departures, additions
Alabama saw 10 defensive backs depart after the 2023 season; two of those, Peyton Woodyard and Jameer Grimsley are set to be freshman this fall and had not yet played college football but had signed to play for the Crimson Tide. Caleb Downs was far and away the most prominent name to depart; he entered the transfer portal after Saban retired. Outside of him, the most notable names were Trey Amos and Kristian Story.
Meanwhile, Alabama has added five defensive backs from the transfer portal since the end of the 2023 season in Domani Jackson (USC), Keon Sabb ( Michigan ), Kam Howard (Charlotte), DaShawn Jones (Wake Forest) and King Mack ( Penn State ). Jackson had committed to Alabama while Saban was still coach.
How much starting experience Alabama lost, gained
Even with twice as many departures as additions, the Crimson Tide saw a net gain in starting experience from this past season. The 10 departing players tallied a combined 17 starts (1.7 starts per player), and Downs had 14 of those. Meanwhile, the new group has a combined 29 starts, an average of 5.8 starts per player. Jackson (11) and Jones (10) combined for 21 of those starts.
How many snaps Alabama football lost, gained
The Crimson Tide also saw a net gain in snaps on defense; the departing players tallied a combined 1,485 snaps on defense. Meanwhile, the additions registered a combined 2,020 snaps on defense in 2023. That's an average of 404 snaps per added player compared to 148.6 snaps per departing player.
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Special teams snap average saw an increase as well. Alabama went from an average of 51.3 snaps on special teams for its departures to an average of 78.6 snaps per addition.
Which group was better in coverage, the newcomers or departures?
Only four of the 10 departing players even faced targets, per PFF. Those players? Downs, Amos, Story and Earl Little II.
Here's how it breaks down; only those who were targeted in 2023 are included.
Receptions allowed (receptions/targets):
Departures: 60%
Additions: 65%
Interceptions per player:
Departures: .75
Additions: 1.4
Pass breakups per player:
Departures: 2.5
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Additions: 2
Average NFL passer rating allowed:
Departures: 93.75
Additions: 89.06
Final thoughts
With the exit of Downs, Alabama lost a blue-chip player who was the SEC freshman of the year in 2023. It's no secret he was a big loss. Amos is another piece that would have been good to keep at cornerback; he allowed receptions on 45% of targets faced. For comparison, Downs allowed 64.7%. But the Crimson Tide has retooled a good bit. Jackson, Sabb and Jones are likely starters and players such as Howard and Mack could get there sometime down the road. Replacing the transfer portal losses won't be as significant as filling the gaps left by the NFL Draft, though. Terrion Arnold , Kool-Aid McKinstry and Jaylen Key all started a season ago, and Arnold and McKinstry were two of the best at their positions in the country. As the numbers show, the portal losses are far from insurmountable despite the high number of departures. Still, Alabama needs this new group to jell together. How well that happens could determine much of the success of this secondary and the defense.
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Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter .
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Transfer portal: What Alabama football actually lost, gained at DB
