It's been an unusual start to the offseason for Alabama football. To begin with, their head coach of almost 20 years, arguably the greatest of all time, Nick Saban, decided to retire and was replaced by Washington's Kalen DeBoer.
It didn't stop there, though. The overall result was a domino effect to the sport the likes of which most have never seen. DeBoer's departure from the Huskies was just one result in a multitude of other coaching changes, which then impacted teams' rosters with the allowance of players to enter the transfer portal.
Saban's retirement, while not necessarily a complete shock, caught everyone off guard. The seven-time national champion coach left a mark on college football that few before him had.
He was the face of the sport and, of course, the university he coached for. That could only mean that his retirement would have adverse effects, most notably in recruiting. Not only did future prospects decommit from Alabama shortly after Saban's announcement, but parts of the then current roster also decided to bolt as well, some of whom were dynamic playmakers for the Crimson Tide in 2023.
When the name on the office door changed from “Saban” to “DeBoer,” a lot of the nameplates changed in the locker room, with 30 outgoing transfers, including former five-star quarterback Julian Sayin, offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor, and safety Caleb Downs, among others. It was the most Crimson Tide players to transfer since 2022 when Alabama football had 23 outgoing transfers.
What's not surprising, though, is that because Alabama's roster has always been so insanely talented from position to position and they only continue to reload through annual recruiting classes, they barely make many moves in the portal. Since the inception of the transfer portal, the most incoming transfers that Alabama has brought in has been six, the same as this last window.
But being Alabama, they still brought in a bevy of talent, even in small number, with the 25th-ranked transfer portal class, according to 247sports. With their six commits, they welcome in one three-star player and five four-stars.
To no surprise, three of those are following DeBoer from Washington, all of whom are four-stars. In the other three, two come from fellow SEC school Texas A&M and one from new Big Ten team USC.
Being that a majority of Alabama's transfers are from Washington, it would be difficult to call any of those sneaky gets. But snatching one from within their own conference in defensive lineman LT Overton could be considered sneaky good, especially considering his potential talent.
LT Overton transfers to Alabama football
It should first be noted that LT Overton announced his transfer decision pre-Saban's retirement and DeBoer's ensuing arrival. He committed to the Alabama football program on Dec. 19. That, in and of itself, is significant, though Overton could have chosen to transfer again due to a coaching change.
LT Overton was a four-star prospect coming out of high school, ranked as the No. 17 overall player in the country and part of the infamous 2022 Aggies recruiting class. He was the No. 6-ranked defensive lineman and No. 4 player in the state of Georgia. He comes to Alabama as a four-star transfer and ranked the No. 27 overall player in the portal and No. 3 defensive lineman.
In Overton's two seasons at Texas A&M, he played in 23 games, made 18 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and one sack. New Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack will likely be highly welcoming of Overton, hoping to beef up what at times was a bit of a struggling defensive front last season. It won't only be a much-needed change of scenery for Overton from College Station to Tuscaloosa, but it will be an entirely different culture, with there being an adjustment by all parties, head coach included.
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