Alabama loses tight end Caden Clark to the transfer portal

Alabama Crimson Tide redshirt freshman tight end Caden Clark is in the NCAA transfer portal, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz. The Alabama athletics staff removed Clark from the online roster last month, but his name didn’t hit the portal until Thursday afternoon. Now, the 2021 signee can officially seek out his next home.

Clark is the second tight end to transfer away from Tuscaloosa since the end of the season. Jahleel Billingsley entered the portal after the national championship loss and chose Texas as the No. 1 TE prospect available.

While Billingsley had contributed 256 yards and three scores on 17 receptions, Clark was not yet making an impact for the Tide.

Coming out of high school in Akron, Ohio, the 6-foot-4, 258-pound tight end chose Alabama over Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State and others. He was a four-star prospect and the No. 17-ranked tight end in the 2021 class, per the On3 Consensus.

Alabama receiver Agiye Hall appears to be close behind Clark after receiving a suspension this week for violating team rules. The Tide removed Hall from the roster as well.

Clark enters packed NCAA transfer portal

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal goes through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship is no longer valid. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school does not have to reoffer a scholarship.