Cornerback Concerns for Alabama?

With the retirement of Alabama head coach Nick Saban, it was expected that some players would transfer out of the program. Alabama's secondary was already set to take a hit, with Kool-Aid McKinstry, Terrion Arnold, and Jaylen Key, all three starters from the 2023 team, going to the NFL. Alabama also had a handful of defensive back transfers during the December transfer portal window. It also did not help the secondary that coach Travaris Robinson left as soon as Kalen DeBoer was hired.

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Alabama was stung again with the 30-day transfer portal window when Nick Saban retired. The Tide lost two potential starters in the cornerback room Dezz Ricks and Trey Amos, both heading to other SEC programs. The dagger to the hearts of Alabama fans was when Caleb Downs announced he would transfer, and he ended up at Ohio State.

That left Alabama with just one returning starter in the secondary: Malachi Moore. Alabama picked up USC transfer cornerback Domani Jackson, who has starting experience, and Michigan safety transfer Keon Sabb, who has four games starting under his belt. Beyond that, no defensive back on Alabama's roster had starting experience, and DeVonta Smith (not that one...the safety on Alabama's roster) has a history of injuries. He's shown promise in practice, but in-game reps are valuable, and Alabama is short on those.

Alabama landed a defensive back transfer in Kameron Howard from Charlotte but continued looking for secondary help. Alabama was originally thought to be getting cornerback experience, with Wake Forest transfer DaShawn Jones expected to transfer to Alabama according to Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports. A wrench seems to have been thrown into those plans, however.

In a now-deleted tweet (post) on X, Jones posted that his recruitment was still open.

Tim Watts of Bama Oline and On3 Sports reported that Jones had committed to Alabama over the weekend, and had even filled out the paperwork to transfer to Alabama.

Right now, Jones is expected to be with Alabama, unless something has happened with the paperwork. Tide 100.9 will monitor the situation and update of anything changes.

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.