The 12-2 Alabama Crimson Tide finished the season without the College Football National title for the third straight year in Nick Saban’s last year as head coach and hired Kalen DeBoer as their next head coach.
Since Saban’s retirement, several players, including their elite freshman, have entered the transfer portal.
The Alabama Crimson Tide lose their elite safety to the transfer portal
Freshman safety Caleb Downs is starting the process of entering the transfer portal.
Source: Alabama freshman All-American safety Caleb Downs is starting the process of entering the NCAA transfer portal. He was one of the country’s top freshman in 2023 and looms as a high pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/u7Fe9bLxSD
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 17, 2024
Here’s how Downs did in his lone season with the team.
His freshman season
Caleb Downs committed to Alabama as a five-star recruit over Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Ohio State for the 2023 season.
Downs took over as the starter in his true freshman season. He appeared in every game and had 107 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, two interceptions, four pass deflections, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble, and an 85.6 PFF Grade.
Downs led the team in tackles, was ninth in tackles for loss, second in interceptions, and fifth in pass deflections.
Downs was a Freshman All-American, a First-Team All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman Team, and the SEC Freshman of the Year.
Notable defensive backs that entered the transfer portal
Other notable defensive backs on Alabama that entered the transfer portal include Kristian Story, Earl Little Jr., Jake Pope, Dezz Ricks, Antonio Kite, and Trey Amos.
Expect him to get a ton of interest/offers
Caleb Downs will draw a ton of interest from many teams. His decision will likely boil down to two factors.
The first factor in his decision is wanting to compete for a championship-contending team. At the end of the day, winning is the ultimate goal of every player.
The second factor in his decision is NIL. Many people predict that Downs will earn a multi-million dollar deal. An anonymous director of player personnel told 247Sports that he will get top-quarterback money.
“He’ll get top-QB money. He’s a true million-plus guy. Well worth the two more years you get of him,” said the anonymous direct of player personnel to 247Sports.
The teams that will be the likely favorites and make an aggressive push for the elite freshman include the Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes.
What team strikes gold and lands Caleb Downs in the transfer portal?
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