Greg Byrne calls for Alabama fans to 'fight back' against opponents with NIL donations

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne has sent a letter to Crimson Tide fans calling for “a time for action” in an effort to improve the program’s name, image and likeness (NIL) donations.

In a social media post Wednesday, Byrne cited Alabama’s competition “using promises of million-dollar paydays to lure away our players” and declared “it is time for the Bama Nation to fight back.”

Alabama fans,
 
Over the past few years, there have been drastic changes in college athletics. We have been careful during this transitional period to protect our position at the top of college athletics while being mindful to listen, engage and learn from our generous…

— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) December 18, 2024

“Alabama fans, over the past few years, there have been drastic changes in college athletics. We have been careful during this transitional period to protect our position at the top of college athletics while being mindful to listen, engage and learn from our generous supporters, proud alumni and unrivaled fans to make sure that we protect our great traditions here at Alabama. But there’s a time for talk and a time for action. Now is a time for action,” Byrne wrote. “Although we have been competitive from an NIL standpoint, our competition has us in their sights and are actively trying to surge ahead with NIL. You have heard examples of other teams using promises of million-dollar paydays to lure away our players or convince them not to come to Alabama. It is time for the Bama Nation to fight back.”

Byrne then uses the rest of the letter to ask fans to subscribe to Alabama’s official team-sponsored NIL collective, Yea Alabama.

“Under the new model of college athletics, which is the result of an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA, a university can succeed if their fans purchase authentic NIL from student-athletes,” Byrne continued. “The good news is when Yea Alabama was created last year, the focus was on providing our fans with a legitimate product rather than booster inducements. … A subscription to Yea Alabama isn’t about the now; it’s about the future. It’s about roster retention for future seasons – keeping our legends in Crimson. It’s about attracting and developing the best recruits in the country to represent the script A. You being a part of the team has never been more important.”

Byrne’s message comes a day after Alabama freshman cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe opted against entering the transfer portal and announced his return to Tuscaloosa amid rampant speculation another SEC program had a multi-million NIL offer on the table enticing the former five-star signee to leave.

Mbakwe had previously announced plans to enter the portal Monday but reversed course less than 24 hours later after further discussions with Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer, who now appears to be entertaining the idea of giving Mbakwe snaps on offense, per On3’s Pete Nakos. And those snaps could come as early as the upcoming bowl game against Michigan.

“A source indicates to @On3sports that Jaylen Mbakwe is seeking some snaps on the offensive side of the ball, too,” Nakos said via X.

There was also online speculation that star freshman receiver Ryan Williams, one of Mbakwe’s best friends on the team, could also be out the door, though nothing appears to have come of that rumor.

Since the NCAA Transfer Portal officially re-opened on Dec. 9, Alabama has already lost 15 total transfers and only gained a single transfer commitment from former Florida pass rusher Kelby Collins on Tuesday.

Among the Tide’s most notable portal loses so far include starting running back Justice Haynes, starting defensive back Devonta Smith (Notre Dame), defensive linemen Jeheim Oatis (Colorado) and Damon Payne, and receivers Kobe Prentice (Baylor), Emmanuel Henderson, Kendrick Law and Caleb Odom.

Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.