Amid much speculation, Alabama freshman All-American safety Caleb Downs will enter the transfer portal. As first reported by On3.

Defensive backs have been the hardest hit position group since Saban left, and the fact that Saban is working directly with DBs and position players who are committed to Alabama are also committed to Saban. When you consider it, it makes sense.

departure of Travaris Robinson to Georgia has caused trouble as well, with Robinson serving as Downs' primary recruiter and mentor and could give an indication of where Downs lands in the portal. .

Downs led the Crimson Tide with 107 tackles this season, becoming the first freshman in program history to do so. He is already one of the best safeties in the nation and will likely be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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This is a devastating loss for an Alabama team that has already experienced significant losses in the transfer portal.

So far, in addition to Downs, Alabama has players in the defensive backfield with Trey Amos (Portal, uncommitted), Jake Pope (Portal, Georgia), Dez Ricks (Portal, Texas A&M), They are losing Antonio Kite (Portal, uncommitted) and Earl Little. Jr. (Portal, uncommitted), Christian Story (Portal, Kentucky), Terrion Arnold (NFL), Kool-Aid McKinstry (NFL), and Jalen Key (NFL).

Alabama's portal window is wide open for 30 days, and the situation in Alabama could get much worse before it gets better.

Michael Brauner is a senior sports analyst and contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP