Transfer Portal Wish List for Alabama Football Fans

“So is that going to make the rich get richer? I don’t know. You can decide that," was the warning Nick Saban provided to the college football world in April of 2021. So far, it looks like that may be exactly how the transfer portal works.

The Alabama Crimson Tide football program has already been busy in transfer portal recruiting so far this offseason. The latest addition to the team is Vanderbilt graduate transfer Tyler Steen, who has started at tackle on both sides of the offensive line for the last three seasons.

Prior to that, Nick Saban’s staff made big splash moves with the addition of three other players that appear primed to make an immediate impact: Georgia wide receiver Jermaine Burton, LSU cornerback Eli Ricks, and Georgia Tech running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Some analysts have gone so far as to call Gibbs a dark horse candidate for the Heisman trophy.

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With so many key additions, it might seem like the rich can’t get any richer in Tuscaloosa, but that is hardly the case. Looking at the players available in the portal still, there are certainly a few more guys Alabama fans can put on their wish list.

1. WR Demond Demas out of TAMU

Agiye Hall decided last week that he wasn’t cut out for the Crimson Tide football program. There are a lot of other young guys in the wide receiver room that Saban has sang the praises of this spring, but there’s no clear-cut number 2 to compliment Burton. Demas would be one of the tallest guys in the unit at 6’3” and scouts say that he does a great job of leaping up over defenders on “go get it" balls. In addition to being able to grab balls high out of the air, he’s great at getting separation from defenders on vertical routes due to his speed. After the success Bryce Young had throwing to Jameson Williams last year, Demas seems like he would be a great target for the returning Heisman trophy winner.

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2. IOL Chris Akporoghene out of Tennessee

Alabama fans should want all the help they can get on the offensive line, and Nigerian native Akporoghene is the 2^nd highest ranked offensive lineman left in the portal, according to 247 Sports, only bested by the next young man on this list. He’s seeing few snaps at Tennessee, most of them on special teams, and is ready to make an impact somewhere. Standing at 6’3” 310-pounds, the former IMG academy standout would be a welcomed addition to the team.

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3. OT Amarius Mims out of Georgia

Like Burton, Mims is leaving Georgia knowing exactly what it takes to win a national championship. The 6’7” 330-pound man played in eight games during Georgia’s run to a championship and would have 3 years of eligibility left. Alabama officially landed offensive tackle Steen on Tuesday, but the offensive line was the Tide’s biggest weakness last year and is the team’s biggest question mark this offseason. Adding a young, massive, talented player like Mims just makes sense.

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4. TE Baylor Cupp out of TAMU

The Tide TE room looks solid right now, but when has good enough ever been good enough in Tuscaloosa? Cupp stands at a whopping 6’7” (yes, that’s the same height as departing left tackle Evan Neal) and scouts say his style of play most resembles that of Travis Kelce. That’s pretty good company to be regarded with. In addition to being lightning fast, he’s spent a lot of time run blocking in Texas A&M’s offense and has been quite successful at it. Put that all together and he and Cameron Latu could be an unstoppable duo.

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5. WR Tyler Harrell out of Louisville

Harrell caused much ado around the college football universe when he entered the transfer portal on Tuesday. He's undoubtedly one of the fastest players in the country and speed is only getting more important in this sport, especially at wide receiver. Last year at Louisville, he logged 6 touchdowns and 523 yards on just 18 catches. According to his now former head coach Scott Satterfield, Harrell runs the 40-yard dash in just 4.19 seconds. Were that time to be verified, it would be a world record.