Two players from the basketball team last year are starters this year - Jusaun Holt at Georgia and Juwan Gary at Nebraska.
We did bring in Sears, Burnett, and Gurley from the portal and all are contributing very nicely so far this season. That said, not sure if comparing transfer activity in football and hoops is apples-to-apples.
We're all kind of gobsmacked by the sheer number of guys in the portal just now. A few may be angling for better NIL deals, but most are leaving due to playing time. Here's what I wonder - once Saban sets his starters for the season, he seems to really lock in and only change personnel in the event of injury. Does the competition for positions end after the 2nd or 3rd game, and if a guy didn't peak at the right time, tough luck? Are practice time restrictions preventing continued development of players who may not have won their position battle at the start of the season but could improve to the point of replacing an ineffective starter? There are a few players over the years that he's seemed to be really loyal to (Owens last year for example).
I suppose these are questions we'll never really know the answers to unless some of you are really connected to the program. Curious to hear from some of you on the board that may be.
Not
quite ready to panic yet. It's early days.