Transfer Portal 2023-2024...

[RollTitanRoll]

I checked Sayin's page and saw no offer from Washington. I did search on it hence I saw he got an offer from Washington State.

I'm obviously frustrated, but also incorrect on that aspect.

Even if I'm misreading the situation, I think taking Mack before Sayin declared was terrible optics. It certainly left me with a particular impression, but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to react to seeing what I feared would play out, playing out (I specifically brought up Sayin when Mack committed).

I was against NIL. I wanted a better recruiter. Watching the talent Saban assembled get decimated immediately is nightmarish and I think avoidable.

Last time I felt like this was after Shula's ten win season when I stated my thought on him and was given a timeout that didn't end until Shula had coached his way out of a team. It felt like watching a train crash you knew was coming.


I guess I should try to give myself a timeout here. I was adamantly against NIL, I argued with several posters here about it. I warned about Texas, I knew what this would end up as.

Then I was really worried about DeBoer's ability to relate to blue chips and keep them around. It's all coming true, and I can't see the positive because it's the bad things I said would happen. I also warned about Sayin leaving when Mack committed.

I hope I'm wrong, I really really do but so far I haven't been and it's not good.

Edit: I want to make one thing clear despite my frustration. I've never, at any point said DeBoer can't coach. I think he can coach, it's just the talent side of thing where he has issues.

Winning and the right staff will take care of recruiting IMO.

 

[squib]

"The Alabama staff likes Austin Mack, and at the end of the day, I think that played into Sayin's decision to leave."

Well if the staff likes Mack better than they like Sayin, then so do I. I suspect they know more about what they need to run the offense than I do.

 

[sanjosecrimson]

Winning and the right staff will take care of recruiting IMO.

it always has been.

 

[BamaPokerplayer]

IF Sayin left because Deboer and Grubb told him they were bringing a former recruit then he's not the QB we need. Full stop!

And you know I believe JS is uber talented, but I just don't buy that he suddenly got his little feelings hurt and decided today he'd enter the portal.

These guys have an entourage of advisers and if he's declaring today it's because they've already been talking about it.

I can't believe anybody is surprised a Cali kid might change his mind after CNS retired. Seems like I read an article that articulated he committed to Bama mainly because of CNS and his ability to get QBs to the league.

I believe BOL was saying he wanted to stay but we told him we were moving in a different direction. Don't know how much truth there is to that.

 

[RollTitanRoll]

I don't see the barn or Ole Miss as legitimate landing spots for him. USC, OSU, and UGA are probably most likely. I would put UTw in there but they have Ewers this year and Manning after.

I'm also not that riled up about this. I can't count how many times the #1 all-world, blue-chip, 5* QB has flamed out. There's no guarantee this guy is going to set the college football world on fire.

Can’t miss QBs out of California never flame out.

 

[Chukker Veteran]

So the guy PURPOSELY doesn't recruit top rated QB's or has something about him that is so off-putting that he can only ger 3 star players?

I'm legit asking. He has yet to coach at a place like Alabama so to compare his week tenure here and compare it to even UW is a bit unfair, IMO.

I’m inclined to give DeBoer the benefit of the doubt…I’m confident he handled things as best as possible. It’s way too early to start second guessing the new coach.

 

[KrAzY3]

Well if the staff likes Mack better than they like Sayin, then so do I. I suspect they know more about what they need to run the offense than I do.

At this point it's like a game of Jenga though.

Sayin leaving makes others leaving more likely. He's one of the piece holding up the other pieces.

I don't know what to believe at this point, I got a bit of bad information my self and overreacted to it.

But, if this staff really was big on Mack, they could have waited. If they pushed Sayin out the door, man... the ripple effects could be broad.

DeBoer has to win now if this story has legs. You can't make moves like this and not immediately produce results. I'm biased, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

But I'm certainly not the only person that's biased. Sayin was a prized recruit a lot of people put their faith in.

 

[gtgilbert]

Mack is basically a true freshman. He reclassified in 2023 to come to college early and learn from Grubb instead of playing his senior season last year. If he stays in his correct class he is probably type 5-10 best qb recruits in country coming in this year. I am not sure where he fits in but he is just as talented as every qb outsider of Sayin. Anyone complaining about Milroe and his inability to read his defenses and getting through his progression should love this kid. Looking at the video as a junior you see him reading defenses knowing where he was going with the ball but also going through 3-4 progressions at rapid speed. That is Bryce Young type stuff right there.

I saw the same thing - made quick decisions getting the ball out when needed, but also moved through a lot of progressions. Really good stuff to see!

 

[crimsonaudio]

Perspective - even with all the quitters leaving Bama will have one of the most talented rosters in the country in 2024.

And now that it appears Bama has a coaching staff rather than a recruiting staff, I suspect many of those bemoaning the losses of these money-grabbers will be humming a different tune this fall.

I hate that I've lost respect for some of these men who have shown their true character, but Bama's gonna be fine.

RTR

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

Not could he just sling it, but his play action fake was second to none.

Who? Hollingsworth or Mack?

 

[CrimsonMapper]

I hope Mack is better than Sayin. I hope whoever he brings in to replace the losses are better than who is lost.

I get your point and your concern for sure. He’s going to have to recruit some solid talent at some point soon. I will say this. Mack doesn’t have to be better than Sayin. He just has to buy in and play within the system. Of course, this staff is going to have to replace some guys and build a team around him. Bryce Young and Stroud lost to QBs that were not as highly rated or talented.

 

[bamadwain]

I don't see the barn or Ole Miss as legitimate landing spots for him. USC, OSU, and UGA are probably most likely. I would put UTw in there but they have Ewers this year and Manning after.

I'm also not that riled up about this. I can't count how many times the #1 all-world, blue-chip, 5* QB has flamed out. There's no guarantee this guy is going to set the college football world on fire.

No disrespect but hide and watch

 

[Cruloc]

FWIW staff on another board have said

"The Alabama staff likes Austin Mack, and at the end of the day, I think that played into Sayin's decision to leave."

Not great sign imo. But trying not to overreact

If its true they prefer Mack over Sayin.......I'm just gonna tell myself its to save space on the back of the jersey.....4 letters instead of 5.

In reality I think Sayin was at Bama strictly because of Saban....has a relationship with other staffs that he doesn't have anymore at Bama....and is going where he's got a relationship with the coaches.

 

[RollTide_HTTR]

I think my issue is that my biggest concern about DeBoer is recruiting. So far nothing has impacted that view. I'd love a nice recruiting win. Getting Ryan Williams to recommit would work. Or even getting the Washington CB

 

[davefrat]

What's next...cheerleaders in the portal?

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

I saw the same thing - made quick decisions getting the ball out when needed, but also moved through a lot of progressions. Really good stuff to see!

He's got a very quick and compact release...a prized NFL trait.

 

[Isaiah 63:1]

In the NFL, Jerry Jones and the Jaguars owner can only spend X amount of dollars on a roster even though Jerry has more money than God. This is more like the Yankees and Dodgers buying rosters without restrictions.

Understood, but all that money alone has not gotten them what they want. Starting in 2001 (23 seasons) they've missed the MLB playoffs a combined 13 times, made the World Series 3 times each, and won 1 championship each. Do they make the playoffs more than other teams with smaller payrolls? Yes, but then the correlation between payroll and success becomes weaker.

Unless NIL and the Portal are reigned in and regulated, Alabama will probably need to figure out how to win with a smaller payroll, such as by focusing on guys who deliver some baseline level of talent plus team chemistry rather than just individual talent...

 

[CrimsonMapper]

I think my issue is that my biggest concern about DeBoer is recruiting. So far nothing has impacted that view. I'd love a nice recruiting win. Getting Ryan Williams to recommit would work

He hasn’t had the job for a week and has one, if not both, arm tied behind his back!!

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

If this staff knew Sayin was leaving, you'd think they would have just had Mack hold off knowing how bad this would look.

At first glance to me it seemed correlated, but I'm admittedly in a terrible mood right now so may be there's a better explanation for it. Perhaps Sayin will explain.

You know, it might improve your mood to turn the computer off and go outside to inhale some of that fresh, if not cold air..................the constant doom and gloom will weigh your psyche down

And, DeBoer has barely had time to bring his staff in and get oriented............no one really knows how he will do until he puts a product on the field at Bama. I doubt the story that they ran Sayin off because of Mack. I think he came to play for Saban and now Saban is gone. It is what it is.............we will just have to ride the waves

 

[KrAzY3]

And now that it appears Bama has a coaching staff rather than a recruiting staff, I suspect many of those bemoaning the losses of these money-grabbers will be humming a different tune this fall.

I hope I am. I have been as negative on the issue as anyone here (I hope there's some understanding because my attitude came with the belief it would play out like we're seeing).

I really, really wanted to keep these guys around and let them get a ring. The talent was there, I wanted a Les Miles type of ring for these guys, one last Saban ring.

More than that though I just want to be wrong about this and have some people tired of hearing my cynicism rub it in my face.

Mack doesn’t have to be better than Sayin. He just has to buy in and play within the system.

My initial impression was clouded by an inaccurate offer list, but there are some reports coming out that the staff was in fact higher on Mack than Sayin. If that's the case, and they were willing to accept the ripple effects of even losing other guys because Sayin left, then I'd say it really needs to pay off and Mack does in fact need to be better.

We'll learn more one way or the other though.

You know, it might improve your mood to turn the computer off and go outside to inhale some of that fresh, if not cold air

You're not wrong there. I think I usually come off as more negative than I feel, but the Sayin news felt like a guy punch. I've never dealt well with worrying something might happen, warning about it, then experiencing it happen.

Then again I'm trying to talk it out instead of just punching air, heh.