Nick Saban explains how he approached the transfer portal at Alabama

Nick Saban never signed a top transfer portal class during his time at Alabama. That’s because he never intended to.

The sustained success he saw on the traditional recruiting trail was unrivaled during his tenure with the Crimson Tide. Every year, Saban loaded his team with high profile recruiting ready to take over for the vets ahead of them leaving for the NFL.

By the end of his tenure, however, both NIL and the transfer portal eras were in full swing and Saban was forced to utilize the portal on a number of occasions to fill the holes left by the blue-chippers leaving the program early. Saban explained how this change in roster management shaped his view of bringing transfers into the program.

“We were in a position in Alabama where we wanted to build our team with young players that we could recruit and we could recruit quality players,” Saban said. “We wanted to get them in the program and make them a part of the culture and development. The downside of that is in this day and age, maybe they don’t stay so we didn’t get the opportunity to develop them. We basically use the transfer portal to get guys where we needed someone.”

Saban pointed toward instant-impact players like running back Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams, who Saban said had a tremendous impact on their respective teams. Even left tackle Tyler Steen started right away following his transfer.

Of course, not every team had the fortune of being a marquee program like Alabama. While signing five-star recruits remained Saban’s bread and butter for the remainder of his career, he was able to offer an alternative perspective for coaches at programs that may not be as fortunate as the Crimson Tide.

“If you’re in a position where you can’t have great recruiting classes, and maybe you’re not in an area that has a lot of high school players, but you have the opportunity to recruit, then you got to go to the portal more,” Saban said. “The downside of that is how do you get those guys to buy into the culture of your team because there’s a lot of new guys? But you’re gonna get older guys, you’re gonna get more experienced guys. And they’re going to be able to fit and they’ll satisfied needs for you too.”

Not every high profile portaler would be on Saban’s radar, however. He was selective with who he chose to bring into his program because he didn’t know if they would adapt well to Alabama’s culture. That was just as important as how they performed on the field. Saban said that players that were in it for themselves, the potential financial gain or individual success weren’t the ones he wanted in his program.

The transfer portal has been a strong tool for coaches and players alike to utilize to find a match that fits both parties desires. In Saban’s experience, the less selfish a transfer is, the more likely they are to succeed.