Washington wide receiver transfer Germie Bernard expected to commit to Alabama

Washington wide receiver Germie Bernard is expected to commit to Alabama out of the NCAA transfer portal, he tells ESPN.

He’s the latest Washington player to jump ship to Alabama, where head coach Kalen DeBoer will be coaching going forward. DeBoer left Washington and took the Alabama job after Nick Saban retired.

Bernard will offer the Crimson Tide a relatively young receiver with a lot of upside.

In two seasons in college, Bernard recorded 41 catches for 547 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for two scores, so he’s got some versatility and can be used out of the backfield at times.

Bernard also served as a key return man on special teams for the Huskies, upping his value even further.

Prior to enrolling at Washington, Bernard spent his first season at Michigan State in 2022. He then transferred to Washington following his freshman season.

The addition of Germie Bernard to the scholarship ranks at Alabama should also help the Crimson Tide stabilize things during a turbulent offseason. The Crimson Tide have had a number of players transfer out from the program since Saban retired.

But DeBoer isn’t overly worried about the roster turnover, discussing it Friday evening on The Paul Finebaum Show.

“You know, I was just through this two years ago,” DeBoer said. “And this is a much better situation than even that one was with the number of players leaving. You know, you just stay the course. And you roll up your sleeves just like I said earlier. There’s such a great group of leaders here in this program that want to uphold the standard of Alabama football. And they are sticking together. We want those guys that want to be here. They’re there working through all the noise that’s out there.”

Count Germie Bernard among the players who wanted in at Alabama.

Along with dozens of others who are sticking around through the change, he’ll be a core piece for DeBoer to begin building a new College Football Playoff contender. After all, he’s only a few weeks removed from getting Washington the national title game.

“I’m just gonna be more proud of them sticking together, being intentional. On communicating with themselves. And trying to keep it tight. Keep it together,” DeBoer said. “A lot of these guys. They came here to leave a legacy. To build on a legacy but to also leave a legacy. And you know, they look at it as their job’s not done. You know, there’s unfinished business with what they’ve accomplished. Whether it’s this year or the years past.

“And so, we’re really looking forward to locking arms as a team, as a staff, and continue to just work with the guys that are here. I really feel like we’re in a great spot. We’ve just got to stay the course.”