Josh Heupel, Nick Saban discuss Henry To'o To'o transfer from Tennessee to Alabama

Current Alabama linebacker Henry To’o To’o was one of the most highly coveted prospects in the transfer portal for the 2021 off-season. Blessed with a remarkable combination of speed, power, and hitting ability, there’s no disputing To’o To’o is one of the nation’s very best at his position.

He was one of the nation’s top linebacker prospects coming out of high school, and he carried that same level of elite play to the college level, where he established himself as one of the nation’s premiere linebackers for the Tennessee Volunteers.

In 2019, as a true freshman, To’o To’o earned freshman All-America honors after racking up 72 tackles, five tackles for loss, half a sack, two pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, and a fumble recovery.

Then in 2020, he followed that up with another excellent year, notching 76 tackles and 10 tackles for loss for the Vols.

As one might imagine, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was very disappointed when the talented linebacker decided to leave Tennessee and transfer to Alabama. During the SEC head coaches teleconference this week, he said the Vols pretty much had no chance of keeping him at Tennessee.

“I think that ship in his mind, had probably pretty much sailed. He was no longer on campus, was no longer in Knoxville, and was back home (Sacramento, California),” Heupel said.

As for Alabama head coach Nick Saban, he had nothing but great things to say about his talented linebacker. He talked about how the coveted transfer prospect knew he would carve out an big-time role on the Crimson Tide roster.

“Well, I mean, Henry’s a great competitor,” Saban said. “He’s done a great job for us. He’s been a real positive addition to our team. I think he was very confident when he came here that he could create a role for himself, because of the kind of competitor, the kind of person, how important football is to him–that he would do just fine. And he certainly has.”

Why did he choose Alabama?

To’o To’o credits Saban and the program’s winning record for getting him to Tuscaloosa. It was a match made in transfer portal heaven.

“You know, who doesn’t want to play for Coach Saban?” To’o To’o said. “And the culture. The guys around here, how they are so eager to win. It’s just a pleasure for me to be here.”

To’o To’o was a can’t miss prospect for the Tide

A former Top-50 overall recruit from Sacramento, the gifted linebacker is one of five Californians on the Alabama roster, including quarterback Bryce Young. When he chose to transfer to Alabama over Ohio State, Washington and Florida, his instant impact was as close to a sure-thing as the Tide could get.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle also contributed to this report.