Link: 2026 Transfer Portal

[AWRTR]

What we are seeing is very similar to MLB in some ways. Things are going to divide into the haves and the have nots. It will all depend on the budget you have to go get “free agents”. It doesn’t mean a have not can’t put together a good roster for a season or two and make the playoffs or even win it all, but they can’t sustain it. Their rosters will be raided by the Yankee, dodger,Red Sox, type schools.

Football may be a little different than MLB in that you can run a system that can help compensate for talent disparity to some extent. You can get lesser talent to play smart and fundamentally sound or in a unique system and beat the more expensive and more athletic team. A really good coaching staff can scheme a win in some instances,

At the end of the day the system and entire sport is broken. They’ve completely wiped out my interest in the sport in general. I’ll always be a Bama fan and keep my toe in that world, but I’m not really a college football fan anymore. I just don’t care about it in any capacity like I used to. I was a start at noon watch until midnight guy. Flipping channels and at times having a game on the tv and another on my iPad next to me. That ended after 2020. Now I watch Bama only and that’s often on DVR. I didn’t watch an entire game except for bama all year. I would catch pieces of games only because my dad had them on the tv. My mom passed and he’s mov d in with us and he will watch the CFL if it’s on tv.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

You want to know why Saban retired? Look no further than this.

Imagine an entitled backup WR from a team we beat by 49 showing up in Saban's office and demanding he be paid just to talk to him.

One of my good friends is an SEC coordinator. He told me he had a kid who was a backup for Florida who he called who was in the portal. He told me he was looking to get him to add depth and didn't think he could start for a few years for them. Kid immediately asked on the phone, "Coach, how much can you get me." Was demanding close to a half a million to come to their school. The phone call didn't last long...

There's NO WAY, I mean NO WAY I'd pay a kid just to visit. The moment that came up from the kid or his agent, I'd cancel the visit immediately. I hope we did not pay the guy $50,000 to JUST visit. Can anyone confirm whether we actually did or not?

 

[cdub55]

There's NO WAY, I mean NO WAY I'd pay a kid just to visit. The moment that came up from the kid or his agent, I'd cancel the visit immediately. I hope we did not pay the guy $50,000 to JUST visit. Can anyone confirm whether we actually did or not?

If I'm a booster and I find out we are spending my money on a kid to step foot on campus, leave, and then sign with someone else I am no longer a booster...

 

[BamaInBham]

I have thought for the last couple of days that we might still be able to salvage a decent size and quality portal class. Unfortunately I am beginning to think this is not likely going to happen. I agree with everyone who has said these players will sign or flip if the money is better some place else. I am now of the opinion these same players have seen Alabama slip since CNS retired. We view Alabama from the die hard, loyal fans standpoint these kids do not and, as someone on here recently said, there is not much confidence in this Alabama coaching staff's ability to turning the program around. Not saying this is going to happen to us, but look at Nebraska, USCw, Tennessee, Penn State, FSU, Florida, and Clemson recent decline.

IMO, a “perceived decline” has little or nothing to do with Alabama’s paucity of portal signings. It is ALL about the dollar amounts. In fact, if anything Alabama is one of the few programs whose name still might provide a discount and if the money is the same they are likely to get the player. But the reality is that money and in a few cases playing time are the overwhelming considerations.

Look at recruiting where Alabama still enjoys great success.

Another positive view of the current staff that is not appreciated by some on the fan base is that they are VERY disciplined in their approach to the portal. They do their own evaluations and determine the value of each experienced player’s production. They hold firm and if the player does too, they both move on because of money not because of their perception of program decline. In fact, for most the money trumps everything: program tradition, prestige, NFL prospects, championships. It’s a brief window in which many players can make life-changing money, certainly more than they will make doing anything else in their lives - at least on an annual basis.

As an aside, we can see why players approach their college football careers as they do, because the vast majority will never make it to or in the NFL, so they maximize their earnings now rather than the future, which for the vast majority will never come.

 

[CB4]

There's NO WAY, I mean NO WAY I'd pay a kid just to visit. The moment that came up from the kid or his agent, I'd cancel the visit immediately. I hope we did not pay the guy $50,000 to JUST visit. Can anyone confirm whether we actually did or not?

I’ve heard that the going rate in some cases to get a top 300 HS recruit on your campus for a visit is $5000. A couple of the guys on the midday sports talk show here (B’ham) were discussing it last week.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I’ve heard that the going rate in some cases to get a top 300 HS recruit on your campus for a visit is $5000. A couple of the guys on the midday sports talk show here (B’ham) were discussing it last week.

It's gone too far. This has gotten ridiculous.

 

[JDCrimson]

As bad as we want to compete in this era, we cannot spend money we dont have. We need to be very careful or we could wreck our program indefinitely.

I think we need to continue to spend money on elite coaches, top flight facilities, player welfare, etc. The stuff that our boosters see value in. Other programs will under invest in these areas and it will rot their program from the inside out.

 

[The Ols]

If I'm a booster and I find out we are spending my money on a kid to step foot on campus, leave, and then sign with someone else I am no longer a booster...

How many e-mail’s are you getting?
They’re begging and I’m not upping my contribution.

 

[cdub55]

How many e-mail’s are you getting?
They’re begging and I’m not upping my contribution.

Just a fan. I played college ball at another school so I dodge the emails, at least from Tuscaloosa.

 

[CB4]

It's gone too far. This has gotten ridiculous.

Bill Clark former UAB head coach. He was on WJOX Three Man Front yesterday. Talks about the craziness of the portal at the 11 minute to 15 minute mark.

3 Man Front Hour 4: Bill Clark, CFB Playoff expansion & #PatPonders - 3 Man Front

The final hour of Monday's 3 Man Front included Bill Clark discussing the semifinal round of the CFB Playoff, the latest news on CFP expansion talks & a brand new edition of #PatPonders!

omny.fm

 

[CB4]

Just a fan. I played college ball at another school so I dodge the emails, at least from Tuscaloosa.

My late FIL played football and baseball at Delta State but was a graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. Until he passed away last April he was bombarded with emails about contributing to the Ole Miss collective. When Billy Brewer was coach at Ole Miss, he had high school recruits locally being “pointed” to him “for a little help”. He got in his car, drove to Oxford, and had a very direct and heated conversation with the AD. He basically told if he hears from another recruit, he would go to the NCAA himself.

 

[jashleyren2]

with the lineman from Michigan and the receiver from NC State both signing, assuming we can keep them out of the portal now, it's clear the staff is aware what is missing and what the needs are.

Thanks to JESSN for the write up on the portal needs!

 

[CB4]

Read that programs are also paying “re-sign” bonuses and “advances” on future NIL earnings if they choose to stay.

 

[jashleyren2]

I wish we could get the Missouri edge too. I would really like to see us have a terror who can affect and harass the QB consistently.

Agree. Miami's path to a title this year, and really Indiana too, has that headhunter on the outside. I don't see how we can expect to field a defense that is consistent and effective without a killer on or near the line (end, outside LB).

 

[KrAzY3]

Just to provide some context for what's going on, I will throw out some numbers I have heard. These are not necessarily accurate, but in the NIL era that's kind of how people arrive to their figures anyway, it's pretty much always someone said so and so cost this much.

Do not take these numbers as gospel, they are at best ballpark figures.
Reportedly Alabama offered:
Coleman 2 million
Smothers 750K
Peaks 500K

Those might be completely off, just saw someone say this. It does mean that in theory Alabama had 3 million+ allocated (which makes sense because Coleman was actually asking 4 and signed for 3, he wasn't coming cheap).

So in theory that does mean they could have enough money for Seaton who is asking 2.5 million (reportedly, heh). That of course begs the question of what exactly happened to kind of grind things to a halt for a while. Did something unexpected happen with the current roster to tie up more funds (Bray staying or the like), or was it just a value proposition where Alabama simply wasn't going to overpay (since based on those numbers they likely could have afforded both Peaks and Smothers by upping their offer)?

We just might not know until all the dust settles. I just know Alabama couldn't have gone after Coleman unless they did at least at the time feel they had money for a big portal addition. That doesn't mean that's the wise course either, but again following the logic it's not like they'd have tried to tie up all their money on Coleman either, so it shouldn't have been a big add or more pieces proposition, at least at one time they thought they had enough for both.

 

[CoolBreeze]

I'd guess Seaton from Colorado and Wilson from Missouri are both absolute premium priced in NIL.

Seaton is the best overall OT in the portal.....Wilson is the #2 overall DE in the portal behind Chaz Coleman.

I doubt we could afford both.

If not then it is a no brainer. Give me the OT please!

 

[CoolBreeze]

Bill Clark former UAB head coach. He was on WJOX Three Man Front yesterday. Talks about the craziness of the portal at the 11 minute to 15 minute mark.

3 Man Front Hour 4: Bill Clark, CFB Playoff expansion & #PatPonders - 3 Man Front

The final hour of Monday's 3 Man Front included Bill Clark discussing the semifinal round of the CFB Playoff, the latest news on CFP expansion talks & a brand new edition of #PatPonders!

omny.fm

Always admired the man. Heck of a coach.

 

[CajunCrimson]

I hate raisins. Major hate. But I really used to love A1 steak sauce. One day I found out they used raisin paste. I stopped eating the steak sauce, cold turkey.

I sure feel like I just found out that football has raisin paste in it.

 

[KrAzY3]

I hate raisins. Major hate. But I really used to love A1 steak sauce. One day I found out they used raisin paste. I stopped eating the steak sauce, cold turkey.

I sure feel like I just found out that football has raisin paste in it.

One ironic thing in all of this is I guess I was probably better prepared for this than most people because of how bad I thought it would be.

I did the whole, me against the world poster thing I tend to do now and then with NIL, trying the best I could to explain just how bad this would be. I said it was opening Pandora's Box, I said it was done in the worst possible way, I said it would just be used by boosters to buy players, I mentioned Phil Knight so many times I was mocked.

And here we are. Now if you read what I'm saying you might not think I hate NIL at all, believe me I do. But the surest way out of this is if Alabama succeeds in the NIL era, the quickest way to change the rules in college football is Alabama domination.

 

[CB4]

Just to provide some context for what's going on, I will throw out some numbers I have heard. These are not necessarily accurate, but in the NIL era that's kind of how people arrive to their figures anyway, it's pretty much always someone said so and so cost this much.

Do not take these numbers as gospel, they are at best ballpark figures.
Reportedly Alabama offered:
Coleman 2 million
Smothers 750K
Peaks 500K

Those might be completely off, just saw someone say this. It does mean that in theory Alabama had 3 million+ allocated (which makes sense because Coleman was actually asking 4 and signed for 3, he wasn't coming cheap).

So in theory that does mean they could have enough money for Seaton who is asking 2.5 million (reportedly, heh). That of course begs the question of what exactly happened to kind of grind things to a halt for a while. Did something unexpected happen with the current roster to tie up more funds (Bray staying or the like), or was it just a value proposition where Alabama simply wasn't going to overpay (since based on those numbers they likely could have afforded both Peaks and Smothers by upping their offer)?

We just might not know until all the dust settles. I just know Alabama couldn't have gone after Coleman unless they did at least at the time feel they had money for a big portal addition. That doesn't mean that's the wise course either, but again following the logic it's not like they'd have tried to tie up all their money on Coleman either, so it shouldn't have been a big add or more pieces proposition, at least at one time they thought they had enough for both.

I believe it was reported Coleman originally took less from Auburn to sign than TAMU offered because it was “close to home and his relationship with the staff”. I think maybe we took a shot at Coleman hoping we might get the same type of “close to home/staff discount”, particularly with Derrick Nix from Auburn as our WR coach now. Evidently that wasn’t a factor for him this time.