Nick Saban to open his office door on first day of transfer portal window

The NCAA transfer portal window will open on Monday, Dec. 4, and remain open for roughly a month through Tuesday, Jan. 2. While many players have declared their intentions already, they can officially enter their names in the portal at midnight as, essentially, free agents.

The 30-day window opens one day after the College Football Playoff field is announced, and Alabama checked in as the No. 4 team after beating then-No. 1 Georgia, 27-24, in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday in Atlanta. That plus the injury to Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis proved to be enough to get the Crimson Tide into the four-team CFP field.

While Alabama’s focus will be on its upcoming matchup with No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl semifinal (Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. CT), the Tide could also experience some roster changes due to the portal window only being open for a limited time. Head coach Nick Saban was asked about the possibility Sunday and how a playoff appearance can affect players’ decisions.

“There’s probably a lot of differences,” said Saban on the Rose Bowl’s selection day conference call. “I don’t think players look at playing in a bowl with the same significance they look at playing in the playoffs, so that in and of itself makes it a little bit different. But I told players today in the meeting that, ‘Some of you have issues about transition in terms of your future. You don’t have to do it in a vacuum. We’re here to help you. Come talk to us about it.’”

Last season, the Crimson Tide saw 17 scholarship players enter the transfer portal, including 12 who elected to look elsewhere before the 2022 campaign ended. Thus far, none of UA’s players have entered the portal since defensive lineman Jamil Burroughs at the end of June.

Alabama had a team meeting this afternoon and will hold its annual team banquet tonight, but Saban said he will be in his office all day Monday for any of his players that need to talk.

“So that – whether it’s guys going out early for the draft, our seniors, leadership group on the team – guys in transition have the opportunity to visit about what they want to do in the future,” Saban said. “We’re hopeful that all of our players will want to stay on our team and contribute to the preparation and success that we have in the opportunity to have playing the best team in the country.”

Alabama’s players will receive time off before beginning on-field prep for its CFP semifinal matchup with the undefeated Wolverines. While Saban hasn’t had time to dive into much Michigan film, he spoke highly of the Tide’s Rose Bowl opponent on the teleconference.

“Our team is very excited about having the opportunity to play the No. 1 team in the country in the University of Michigan,” Saban said. “They’ve had a very, very successful season, Big Ten champs. I’d like to congratulate them on that. And we’re going to look forward to the challenge that we have ahead in terms of what we have to do to prepare and be the best that we can be to play against the No. 1 team in the country.”

Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!

Have you subscribed to BamaOnLine.com yet? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $1! Be able to read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets covering Alabama sports and recruiting and also join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the globe on the BOL Round Table message board! CLICK HERE!