After losing over 20 scholarship players in the winter following a 9-3 regular season, head coach Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide escaped the spring portal window with a national best, zero departures. Despite retaining a great deal of talent, there are some notable names that slipped through the cracks in December, including six former starters.
Offensively, Alabama lost a slew of former pass catchers, including starters Kobe Prentice and Kendrick Law.
Prentice, now at Baylor, started as a true freshman for the Crimson Tide in 2022, reeling in a career-high 31 receptions that season, fourth on the team. He joins an explosive Bears offense led by quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who finished 2024 tied for 14th in the country with 28 passing touchdowns.
As for Law, the stout six-foot, 205-pound receiver joined the Kentucky Wildcats.
Emmanuel Henderson (Kansas) and freshman Caleb Odom (Ole Miss) also left Tuscaloosa during the window.
Tailback Justice Haynes is now the presumptive starter at Michigan, taking over for Wolverine legend Donovan Edwards. He finished third on the team in rush attempts and yards last season, with a team leading 5.7 yards per carry among players with at least ten attempts.
Legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban praised Haynes’s maturity as a freshman, proclaiming that “nothing’s really too big for him.”
Remaining in the Big 10, Nebraska looked to beef up its offensive-line, adding former Crimson Tide starting tackle Elijah Pritchett. Pritchett is still battling for his starting role with the Cornhuskers.
Maybe the most intriguing of all the Crimson Tide’s losses comes in the form of quarterback Dylan Lonergan.
A multi-year backup in Tuscaloosa, Lonergan has thrown just eight in-game passes during his collegiate career. After entering the portal, he decided to reunite with former offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien at Boston College.
Lonergan recently won the Eagles starting job over incumbent Grayson James, who was 3-2 as the starter in 2024.
O’Brien has had nothing but praise for the Alabama transfer: “[Lonergan’s] got good anticipation, good accuracy. He’s very calm, very poised.”
With revamped weapons, including former Alabama tight end Ty Lockwood, and a system that fits Lonergan’s skill set, it would not be surprising to see the former four-star recruit have a breakout season much like Eli Holstein did at Pitt last season.
Defensively, the Crimson Tide lost multiple impact players, specifically safety DeVonta Smith and defensive tackle Jehiem Oatis.
Smith was third on the team last season with five pass deflections. Now in South Bend, it will be interesting to watch how he fares in a stout Fighting Irish secondary that includes freshman All-American Leonard Moore.
Oatis, the first portal entry in 2024, landed in Boulder to play for head coach Deion Sanders’s Buffaloes.
Safety King Mack transferred to Alabama from Penn State prior to last season, totaling 14 total tackles last season. After the season concluded, Mack finished his round trip, heading back to Happy Valley for the 2025 season.
