Kalen DeBoer signals to transfers that Alabama is open for business

It has been a busy offseason for the Alabama Crimson Tide following the shocking retirement of legendary head coach Nick Saban, who guided the program to six national championships during his illustrious 17-year tenure.

In light of the surprising decision, Alabama elected to name former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer as the heir to Saban’s throne in Tuscaloosa.

Fresh off an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship, DeBoer lands an opportunity to be the coach of arguably the most prestigious college football program in the nation as the leader of the Crimson Tide.

While filling the void left by Saban may be daunting, DeBoer hasn’t let that deter him from getting to work, using the transfer portal to his advantage.

Per BamaCentral’s Hunter De Siver, Michigan safety Keon Sabb and Washington tight end Josh Cuevas are transferring to Alabama. 

Sabb played a critical role in Michigan’s secondary and march to winning a national championship, and has three years of eligibility remaining. Cuevas played with DeBoer at Washington and will now follow him to Alabama with two years of eligibility left.

However, DeBoer left the door open for other players to join his team via the transfer portal in a recent interview with WJOX, a local sports radio broadcast.

Kalen DeBoer wants more transfers to join Alabama

“I think there’s some good young players that will step up and do a great job,” DeBoer said based on what he’s seen from his evaluation of his team thus far while noting that the team is still welcoming new additions. “But we do have a couple extra scholarships. Not a lot, but we do have a couple extra scholarships still available that we could utilize when that time comes.”

DeBoer understands that the lure of playing at Alabama sells itself and wants to leave no stone unturned as he fills out the remainder of his roster in preparation for his first season leading the Crimson Tide in the post-Saban era.