Alabama football loses former top recruit to the transfer portal
By Mike Luciano
Former Alabama football top recruit Ishmael Sopsher is entering the transfer portal.
Alabama’s recruiting machine vacuums up four and five-star recruits with regularity, but one of the side effects is that some of these top recruits end up doing more sitting on the sideline than playing on the field.
With LaBryan Ray and Christian Barmore assuming starting spots, 4-star recruit and Louisiana native Ishmael Sopsher hasn’t seen the field at all with Alabama. Worried that his college career would be wasted in Tuscaloosa, Sopsher is looking at options away from Nick Saban.
Sopsher is apparently regretting his decision to link up with Saban and the Tide, as he has put his name in the transfer portal after finding playing time extremely hard to come by.
Ishmael Sopsher was recruited by several blue blood programs in high school
Sopsher was considered almost a lock to go to his in-state option in LSU, spurning the likes of Alabama, Texas A&M, and Oregon along the way. However, when his brother Rodney decided to transfer from a community college to Alabama, Sopsher decided the best spot for his football future was in Tuscaloosa.
Sopsher hasn’t seen the field yet as a member of the Tide, which had to be crushing knowing that he likely turned down a shot at immediate playing time elsewhere. Considering how he was a top-50 recruit in high school, all those programs that missed at getting one of the best run-stuffers in the country will get one more crack at luring him to their squad.
Sopsher might not be in Saban’s immediate plans at Alabama, but a defensive tackle as raw as him with the athletic ability to move around the defensive line and explode off the snap will have the ability to pick from a selection of some of the country’s best if he decides to leave Alabama.
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