What the transfer portal gives, it can take away, too. And as a coach, you gotta keep in mind that players can hit the portal whenever they want and leave your team. When Nick Saban announced his retirement in January, we saw things fall apart back in Alabama. We saw firsthand how senior and amazing players like Caleb Downs, Trey Amos, Peyton Woodyard, and more hit the portal, leaving their old team behind. The Crimson Tide lost 17 starts during the early months of 2024. So when Chuck Martin explained on August 22nd that Kalen DeBoer had taken away his prized kicker, it made no sense. No one is out here stealing from the transfer portal. Players make their own choices, and today we got Nick Saban explaining exactly that.

During ESPN’s College GameDay, which started today, August 24th, we spotted Nick Saban shutting down the claims that Martin had made. “If they wanted to look at somebody tampering, they should have done a little investigation right there,” Saban noted. There was no tampering in the first place. Kalen DeBoer also responded to the allegations back on August 22nd and noted, “He entered the portal and we reached out to him, so that’s how it goes, right?”. This is quite literally how every single transfer happens or is handled. Saban even went into depth and explained how his retirement from Alabama also caused this entire scene of players transferring out of the Tides. Not only that, but there were also reports of many people trying to encourage players to leave the tides as well. “When I retired, there were people camped out in Tuscaloosa to get players to go in the portal,” Saban noted. That didn’t make anyone charge any other coach for tampering.

Heck, back on August 17, we saw Nick Saban even commend some players who had decided to stick with Alabama. Saban had noted his thanks to Ryan Williams for considering the Tides after DeBoer took over. The former HC even went on to say that many players will be “sorry they left Alabama.” Graham Nicholson, the kicker who had transferred from Miami, was getting along with DeBoer quite well. The current HC even noted, “I like his mindset. We’re glad he’s here.” Nicholson will be taking up Will Reichard, who was once considered the best in the entire nation. DeBoer’s ability to pull in Nicholson is another aspect you should keep in mind if you ever start doubting his hiring as HC at the Tides. That man is on his way to making this team a force to be reckoned with.

DeBoer is leading the change

With the reins in DeBoer’s hands, the team has changed drastically. While we did mention that the Tides lost quite a few players after Saban’s retirement, if you check the facts, you can find that the team also managed to gain 27 starts for this season. Ryan Williams is here, Keon Sabb has transferred over from the Wolverines, Domani Jackson is here, and many more. Not only that, the kids have put on exceptional performances as well. Back during the scrimmage, we saw Williams and QB Jalen Milroe team up and land a solid 50-yard touchdown.

Not only that, defensive coach Kane Wommack also showed massive confidence in Keon Sabb and his ability to handle the defense. Sabb is getting partnered with senior Malachi Moore, and together they make Alabama’s defense quite strong. Fans would say that Martin was just a bit hurt because he lost his best kicker. However, what’s more important right now is watching the Crimson Tide dominate this season.