Nick Saban developed a sometimes unbelievable amount of talent during his legendary Alabama career and will continue to see some of his former players trickle into the NFL over the next couple of years. As it stands, his Crimson Tide program accounts for by far the most professional players of any school. From Derrick Henry to Tua Tagovailoa and Minkah Fitzpatrick to Josh Jacobs, a wide swath of the league’s biggest names played its college ball under Saban’s tutelage in Tuscaloosa. The SEC and Big Ten are the only two "power conferences" left where football is concerned, and this settlement is only going to widen the gap between those two leagues and everyone else.
The Tide coaching staff didn’t just suffer losses from the transfer portal, a handful of immediate starters for the program transferred in, as well as some young, talented players who could contribute in the next few seasons. Following the news that legendary head coach Nick Saban would be retiring as the leader of the Alabama Crimson Tide football program, several players decided it was time to move on from Tuscaloosa—one of the notable being offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor. Alabama Crimson Tide football is under new leadership, as Kalen DeBoer takes over as the program’s head coach following the retirement of legendary coach Nick Saban. One of the biggest concerns regarding DeBoer was his recruiting abilities. Those have since been alleviated to a certain degree after the impressive offseason he’s had on the recruiting trail and the transfer portal.
Athletes in all sports would be eligible for payments and schools would be given the freedom to decide how that money is divvied up among sports programs. "The settlement, though undesirable in many respects and promising only temporary stability, is necessary to avoid what would be the bankruptcy of college athletics," said Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins. "There's no question about it. It's a huge quantum leap," said Tom McMillen, the former Maryland basketball player and congressman who has led an association of collegiate athletic directors the past eight years. Months after saying he did not want to be part of another rebuild, the respected veteran and longtime defensive captain is thrilled with how things are unfolding under new general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn.
With Justin Eboigbe off to the NFL, someone else like that will need to fill that spot on this defensive line, and Latham is a solid candidate. He's a redshirt senior, so he's a veteran guy, and he has shown flashes of potential with 10 pressures a season ago to go with a sack against Arkansas, per Pro Football Focus. So, keeping all that in mind, here are five candidates to have breakout seasons for the Crimson Tide in 2024. A change of scenery could certainly have been in the cards, given especially that Allen has no guaranteed money left on his contract, which has two years remaining. "We have so many great resources to help these guys move on to the next career," Saban said. "That's something we want to get organized and do a better job of. I have never had a chance to do projects like that before. Now I have a chance to do it."
There is no shortage of excitement for the return of EA Sports' beloved College Football video game series this summer, a franchise returning due to click through the up coming document advent of NIL payouts for college athletes which allowed their likenesses to be in the game. Despite an early lead, Alabama softball fell to No. 3 seed Tennessee 3-2 on Friday in Game 1 of the NCAA super regionals at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The 2024 regular season may prove to be challenging for DeBoer in his first season at the helm of the historic program, but iron sharpens iron, and it’s impossible to build an impressive resumé without obtaining some impressive wins. Alabama added another runner in the second inning on an infield single from Riley Valentine and aggressive base running from Giles at second base to extend the lead to 2-0. While many fans are focused on the early-season home matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs, there are a handful of other games on the schedule that Alabama fans shouldn’t overlook.
Kristen White got things started in the top of the first with a lead-off single, advancing to third off of a fielding error. White crossed home plate follow a wild pitch, giving Alabama the 1-0 lead. The Crimson Tide added another run and went up 2-0 in the top of the second inning behind a Riley Valentine single to score Marlie Giles, who reached base after being hit by a pitch. Even in retirement, former Alabama football coach Nick Saban keeps himself busy. After spending just a couple of months back home with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Proctor changed his mind and announced his intentions of returning to the Capstone to play for new Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer.
Ryan Williams, Noah Carter, Amari Jefferson, Kevin Riley, Rico Scott, Steve Mboumoua, Jay Lindsey and Quinton Reese are all expected to move onto campus this weekend along with the other spring transfer portal additions. While there aren't any reports of Alabama hosting recruits on campus this weekend, it's still a significant one for the football program. The University of Alabama starts its Summer I semester on Tuesday, May 28 meaning that the final members of the Class of 2024 will move onto campus and officially join the program for its summer workouts. Blake Byler is a staff writer for BamaCentral and primarily covers Alabama basketball and football. He has covered a wide variety of Crimson Tide sports since 2021, and began writing full-time for BamaCentral in 2023. Oats made some waves by adding transfer Aden Holloway from archrival Auburn.