There's rightfully a lot of shock around Alabama fans in regards to the several outgoing transfers. But what if those transfers were a smaller part of a bigger story
Jaylen Mbakwe. Qua Russaw. James Smith. Wilkin Formby. Noah Carter.
All Alabama players who have, at the very least, seemed like they were ready to contribute to a championship team, are now out, looking to find a new program to play.
The madness has to end eventually, right?
But what if these losses aren’t the end of the world, and that Kalen DeBoer, Courtney Morgan and the Alabama staff have something bigger planned.
Former Alabama safety and current Director of Player Personnel, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix went on X and made it known that he hears the groans from Gump Nation, and he’s inviting fans to explain what departures are the ones that sting the most.
He also goes on to respond to one fan by saying “this is a production business, we have to develop & Win in this collegiate game, we don’t check off a box called potential.”
And he’s right.
The one loss that seems to hurt the most is Keon Keeley, the former five-star pass rusher, who was generating more playing time as the season wore on, and that the hope was that he took the next step in 2026.
But hope isn’t a strategy.
In regards to the other players listed at the top of this article, we’ll break it down one-by-one.
Qua Russaw was a big "potential" candidate. He dealt with injury troubles throughout his career, with many believing that he was one of the best athletes on the roster.
Russaw managed to generate a decent amount of hurries when he played this season but overall, only recorded 14 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and a sack.
James Smith: A culture guy. His presence will certainly be missed in the locker room, as he wore the script ‘A’ with pride. But he was another victim to a lack of production.
Smith posted 6.5 tackles for loss, but three of those came against UL-Monroe in Week 2. And for someone who probably wanted a raise, his 2.5 sacks last season wasn’t cutting it.
- Noah Carter is one of those types of players who probably would’ve seen a lot more playing time next season. You saw the potential, as when he did get time on the field, he caused havoc, but at the same time, only generating nine total tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.
When Wilkin Formby was brought into Tuscaloosa, the expectation was that he and Kadyn Proctor were going to dominate the edges. Well, Proctor did. Formby struggled mightily.
Formby struggled as a right tackle. In nine games this season as the starting RT before switching to right guard, he allowed nine pressures, including four against South Carolina, one that ultimately led to the hit that hurt quarterback Ty Simpson.
We’ll call a spade a spade here. Mbakwe could’ve and should’ve worked out, had things not gotten difficult last offseason, where another SEC school attempted to poach him so he could play wide receiver.
It was clear that Alabama didn’t want to lose him and his elite athleticism, so it gave into what he wanted, but ended up failing to benefit either side.
Alabama’s wide receiver room was deep. Mbakwe was outplayed by Lotzeir Brooks, who became a staple for Alabama, and there was no way he was getting playing time over Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard or Isaiah Horton.
Alas, Mbakwe hit the portal and headed to Georgia Tech, where he will ultimately play the position that he started with all along. Defensive back.
It’s a shame that it didn’t work, because this past season should’ve been pivotal to his development.
In the end, Morgan, Alabama’s General Manager emphasized how important it was to retain its players, so the fact that key players weren’t retained should say a lot on how the staff evaluated their ceilings.
We’ve already seen the Tide bring in running back Hollywood Smothers from NC State, who led the ACC in rushing yards per game with 85.4. The starting running back Jam Miller only averaged 45.8 yards per game.
Is it sad to watch several players move on? Of course. It’s always nice to see players you’ve watched grow and develop and finish the story they started.
But here in the SEC, fairytale endings are just what they are. Fairytales.