Alabama Officially lands wake forest transfer

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.

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.

Tide 100.9 wrote earlier today that the Crimson Tide was expected to land a commitment from Wake Forest transfer cornerback DaShawn Jones, but Jones put out a tweet saying his “recruitment is open” before deleting it a few minutes later.

Now, the recruitment is official, with Jones putting out a graphic via Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports that he is committing to Alabama.

Jones was a two-year starter for Wake Forest, totaling 37 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, three picks, and two pass breakups.

Jones also had interest from other programs, such as LSU. Alabama may not be done in the transfer portal either, with Penn State safety transfer King Mack also visiting Alabama.

Tide 100.9 is keeping a roster tracker for Alabama Football’s spring transfer window. You can keep track of the Tide’s roster here.