Alabama lost two key players in the transfer portal to Texas. The Crimson Tide are facing issues trying to outspend SEC rivals in the era of NIL.
Alabama needed a strong showing in the transfer portal to reignite hope in the program after suffering a humbling 38-3 loss to No. 1 Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
The defeat didn't look so bad after the Hoosiers kicked around No. 5 Oregon in a 56-22 win in the CFP semifinal at the Peach Bowl on Friday night. Still, the Crimson Tide have a higher standard than the Ducks, and head coach Kalen DeBoer needs to make a strong showing in 2026.
Over the weekend, Alabama suffered two crushing defeats to its SEC foe, Texas. The Longhorns nabbed former Auburn leading wide receiver Cam Coleman on a contract that will pay him at least $2 million, per the Houston Chronicle.
Alabama, which had a poor run game in 2025, needed to land an explosive running back and hoped to land Hollywood Smothers. Texas is set to nab former NC State running back. Smothers is the No. 2 running back in the transfer portal as ranked by 247Sports.
During an appearance on The SEC Network's "McElroy & Cubelic" on Monday, ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum suggested Alabama is at a "tipping point" after watching Texas come in and spend money on players the Crimson Tide desired.
"It was a dreadful weekend, and you guys hear the same thing that we all hear, and everybody listening to the show has heard, and it's hard to accept that Alabama is being outmaneuvered and outspent." Finebaum said.
"It's not a shock about the being outspent... I think the real problem for Alabama is what can be done about it, because you now have a coach who suffered the worst loss in modern Alabama history, and he's going to have to galvanize people and inspire people to dig deep."
Finebaum doubts DeBoer can fix the situation in Tuscaloosa as is. Host Greg McElroy and Finebaum suggested Alabama could bring in private equity, similar to what Utah recently did, to bring cash into the program to compete for top transfers.
DeBoer, a native of Milbank, South Dakota, already faces a handicap in recruiting because he's not from the South. If the Crimson Tide don't have the funds to compete with top SEC programs for players, their dreams of getting back to the national championship might take a while.