Casagrande: The stark reality behind Alabama’s 5-star transfer tease, future ahead

On By Littum

This is an opinion column.

Bingo we got action.

Four words followed by emojis of a bullseye, an elephant, and an exclamation mark sent Alabama internet slackers into a frenzy.

It caused generational disorders. Football fear.

What does it all mean?

Posted on star freshman receiver Ryan Williams’ Instagram Story over a photo of him and fellow Tide rookie Jaylen Mbakwe sent a cryptic shiver down the spine of an already shaken fan base.

Welcome to transfer portal season – the modern evolution that resembles the National Signing Days of yesteryear. Only this is messier, less controllable and this year humiliating to the mightiest power of the bygone era.

It’s disorienting.

Rattling loyalties and fans’ desire to bond with young stars when even the deepest connections can be uprooted.

It’s about numbers and those behind them.

Neither looks good for Alabama more than a week after the lid was lifted last Monday from the free-agent gateway. As of Tuesday afternoon, 14 Crimson Tide players from the 2024 roster either took the exit ramp or hit the turn signal, indicating an impending move.

Zero incoming, so far.

One must click “Load More” to find Alabama at No. 68 in the ranking of the On3 recruitment portal. Auburn, for context, is No. 3 there and in 247Sports transfer rankings with eight incoming. Mississippi is no. 1 in both with seven.

There’s still a long way to go in this, and the Crimson Tide has several high-profile portal dwellers visiting. So the turnstile will turn both ways.

But it is part of an ever-evolving reality that does not need to be celebrated, but to be accepted.

The days of stockpiling every top player in prime positions are over. The 2017 signing class is not possible in today’s environment. Alabama signed three of the top five receivers in 247Sports’ rankings that year. Each played their entire college careers in Tuscaloosa before being drafted in the first round of various NFL drafts.

Crazy in today’s context.

The addition of NIL enticements to the loosened transfer rules leveled a playing field that had long been tilted against college football’s Alabama. Where the Crimson Tide might sign and keep one of the best receivers and a couple of pretty good ones, SEC peers now have the resources to split those power combinations.

The rich did not get richer.

The wealth is just being spread.

This brings us back to the issues of loyalty and attachment to a given list. This is where Mbakwe and Williams’ Instagram slide left the online chronicler with red eyes and a mouth full of vomit.

Mbakwe, one of the earliest commitments to the 2024 Tide signing class, was among the most outspoken sellers of all things Crimson. He was huge in both of Williams’ commitments — both before and after Nick Saban’s retirement — as the two brought a unique bond to this program in transition. They even have a podcast together.

So it was jarring to see Mbakwe’s post on social media from Monday declaring an intention to enter the transfer portal as a “business decision.” If someone committed since July 2022 could uproot after just one season, who else could join him?

How much is that loyalty worth?

“Bingo, we got action,” came not long after Mbakwe’s post and the online tail spin began. Speculation began about which SEC rival was throwing money at the five stars who stuck with Alabama in the fallout from Saban’s mushroom cloud.

The hits began to pile up as former 4- and 5-star prospects left. Emmanual Henderson, Justice Haynes, Kendrick Law and Jahiem Oatis were out.

Four receivers were in the portal, but cornerback Mbakwe would cut deep, not only for his potential, but for how committed he had always been to the program.

The prospect of losing Williams, still more than a month shy of 18, would be a disaster.

An empire held onto their collective bums and refreshed Instagram until the virtual all-clear siren sounded. First Mbakwe deleted his letter of intent to transfer, then Williams dusted off a five-year-old NFL clip to calm the anxious captives for an app.

“I think we’re not done yet,” was Rams cornerback Marcus Peters’ response in a 2019 press conference and the video Williams used to end the social media standoff/vigil.

Mbakwe then shared it along with a meme from The Wolf of Wall Street that read “I’m not leavin'” over a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio.

The entire saga spanned less than 24 hours, but spoke to the volatility of the moment. Rivals have money to spend and statements to make by raiding Alabama’s locker room. The impending advent of revenue sharing allows programs to take big swings at high-profile targets.

With an estimated $15 to $17 million in additional money flowing through these football programs, the West is about to get even wilder.

It’s also worth asking how much all of this affects the relationships in the program. But this is the same locker room that saw offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor not only enter the portal last year, but move to Iowa for a few months before returning to Tuscaloosa and starting every game he was healthy.

Business decisions.

Days like this are why Saban lives the TV life instead of decoding Instagrams.

Another cautionary tale of the changing landscape Kalen DeBoer and fans in crimson must navigate.

The Alabama fortress walls held this time, but the attacking forces will be back.

DeBoer went on the defensive, patching an artery of a bleeding list with loot still circulating.

Just the reality of a multi-front battle for shift control as 2024 becomes 2025.

“Bingo,” as they say, “we got action.”

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.