Alabama football general manager Courtney Morgan doesn't take chances in the NCAA transfer portal.
Morgan needs players who are proven. Portal players are more expensive than high school recruits, he said. It's a bigger investment. When it comes to portal additions, Alabama needs a "known commodity."
Alabama needed a cornerback. The Crimson Tide had thin numbers at the position, having lost Jahlil Hurley ( Kansas ) and DeVonta Smith (Notre Dame) to the portal. And Morgan knew where to go.
"I remember Cam Calhoun when he came out of high school," said Morgan, who was the director of player personnel at Michigan in 2021, the program Calhoun signed with in 2023. "So I remember Cam as a youngster, and (was) just watching his path."
Cameron Calhoun proved to be the perfect fit, signing with Alabama as its second defensive transfer along with former Florida defensive end Kelby Collins .
Calhoun transferred to Utah after one season with the Wolverines and played in 11 games in 2024, recording 21 tackles, nine pass break-ups — fourth-best in the Big 12 — and an interception.
In 2024, Calhoun, a Cincinnati native, was what Winton Woods High School football coach Chad Murphy always thought Calhoun would be.
"I didn't doubt this dude would be a big-time football player for a second," Murphy said.
Calhoun had to work his way up at Winton Woods.
As a sophomore, Calhoun was a defensive back playing wide receiver with two seniors starting at cornerback who were on Division I paths: Tamarion Crumpley, who just finished his redshirt junior season at Pittsburgh , and Caleb Tubbs, who signed with Miami ( Ohio ).
Calhoun moved to cornerback, starting next to Jermaine Mathews Jr., who would eventually play for Ohio State .
"(Calhoun) just kind of went crazy from there," Murphy said.
Calhoun had nine interceptions, 61 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 2021, leading Winton Woods, the same program that produced Alabama 2025 linebacker Justin Hill , to a state title, and finished his career with a school-record 14 interceptions.
"He's one of them guys, he's almost like a Deion (Sanders)," Murphy said. "He'd put out on social media, 'I'm going to get a pick tonight.' And he'd get a pick. I'm talking about in the playoffs.
"He'd almost speak things into existence."
Calhoun is no stranger to the transfer portal.
He entered after playing in two games as a freshman at Michigan in 2023. He entered after playing 11 games, but making one start for Utah in 2024.
Murphy describes Calhoun as a player who "knows what he wants."
"He's looked out for what's best for him, you know what I mean?" Murphy said. "Some people look at that negatively these days. But, you know, the guy knew what he wanted. He knows what he's capable of and he's got confidence in himself to get it done."
Murphy remembered Calhoun as a player who puts in the extra work, driving to the Winton Woods football field and seeing the cornerback grinding out reps, showing his eagerness to be as good as he can be.
"The kid wants to be great," Murphy said. "He is tough minded. He's competitive. He's motivated. He just wants to go get it. At times, I felt like he's almost in too big of a hurry to do so."
Morgan knew who Calhoun could be. But he didn't only trust his gut.
Morgan said he knew what former Michigan co-defensive coordinator and current Los Angeles Chargers defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale said about Calhoun. He knew what Utah cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah said about Calhoun.
"Both of those guys had the same thing to say about him," Morgan said. "And what you want to do in the portal when you do background is make sure the messaging is consistent."
And in Calhoun, Alabama found the "known commodity" it needed at cornerback.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What made Cameron Calhoun a transfer portal target for Alabama football
