Nick Saban: Transfer portal has changed quarterback recruiting 'tremendously'

The last two years have seen plenty of transfer portal success stories at quarterback. Names such as Caleb Williams at USC, Michael Penix Jr. at Washington, Shedeur Sanders at Colorado and Sam Hartman at Notre Dame reinvigorated their careers after entering the portal.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban knows how much of an impact the portal can make at the quarterback position.

“I think it’s changed the game tremendously,” Saban told ESPN’s Chris Low on Hey Coach and The Nick Saban Show.

According to the latest Heisman Trophy odds released earlier this week, five of the top eight contenders transferred within the last two years. That includes Williams and Penix, who are the two favorites to win the award.

But as is the case with the portal, there’s also a downside. Some teams lose backups to the portal, which means they don’t have as much depth at the position. Saban pointed that out, but added it’s a useful resource for new coaches who are trying to put together a program.

As a result, there’s parity — something Saban has wanted for some time.

“I think that the really, really good teams have a more difficult time because you don’t lose some of your best players, but you lose a lot of depth on your team,” Saban said. “So it makes you younger and you don’t have a lot of depth.

“But it also gives you an opportunity, if you’re building a program, to get players from another resource so you can actually rebuild a lot quicker and get to a higher level more quickly. And I think it’s creating a lot more parity.”

Some other notable examples of successful transfer quarterbacks include LSU’s Jayden Daniels — who Saban specifically pointed out — and Oregon’s Bo Nix. Both quarterbacks flourished last year and set themselves up for a big leap this year. But some QBs, such as DJ Uiagalelei, sought a change of scenery to jump-start their careers. Uiagalelei left Clemson and is in his first year at Oregon State.

Alabama also ventured into the portal to bring in a quarterback this season, landing former Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner. He got his first start with the Crimson Tide last week against USF, but struggled. He completed just five of 14 passes for 37 yards before Ty Simpson took over.

Saban previously said Buchner was coming along well in the system after coming to Alabama after spring practice. He reunited with Tommy Rees, and ahead of the USF game, it sounded like he was starting to get more confident.

“He played really well in the last scrimmage and he’s done well in practice,” Saban said. “So we feel really good about, sort of, how he’s continued to improve and develop and gain confidence in what he’s doing, and have a good feeling around the teammates and the receivers and all that type of thing.”