Where Alabama's additions landed in On3 Transfer Portal rankings

Taking a closer look at where Alabama football’s 2023 class of transfers ranked both overall and by position in the On3 College Football Transfer Portal Rankings, which ranks both the top 300 overall players that entered the portal during the offseason as well as ranking players by position.

CJ Dippre (Maryland) – No. 32 Overall, No. 2 Tight End

At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Dippre spent his first two seasons of college in College Park, Md. Originally from Scranton, Pa., where he played quarterback and tight end – as well as threw discus – at Lakeland High School, Dippre chose the Terrapins over Boston College, Virginia and his new coach’s alma mater, Kent State. He appeared in all 25 games the last two years.

This season as a sophomore, Dippre caught 30 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns in 12 regular-season outings. He established a new career-high in catches in the opener against Buffalo (3) and had five more games with as many receptions in the ensuing 12 weeks. Dippre caught a pass in every game this fall and tallied a new career-best four receptions in a Week 12 matchup with Ohio State. Despite losing Cameron Latu, Alabama’s tight end room is in a good place, but it needed a veteran presence, which is what Dippre provides for the Tide.

Trezmen Marshall (Georgia) – No. 61 Overall, No. 6 Linebacker

At 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, Marshall spent four seasons in Athens, Ga., and played in 32 games in his career as a Bulldog. He appeared in 14 of Georgia’s 15 games as a reserve linebacker in its championship-winning season in 2022, his most involved campaign since his freshman year in 2019, but Marshall dealt with two shoulder injuries (2019-20) and a knee setback (2021). He and UA are hoping a change of scenery to Tuscaloosa, Ala., will change his injury luck.

In his first four seasons of college, Marshall tallied 24 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and two pass breakups. This past year was his best yet with 19 of those 24 tackles and the rest of the stats, including the 4.5 tackles for loss. That ranked ninth on a UGA defense that did not have anyone finish with double-digit stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Jaylen Key (UAB) – No. 150 Overall, No. 7 Safety

Key brings needed experience to Alabama, having spent the past five seasons in Birmingham with the Blazers. The Tallahassee, Fla., native played in 43 games over the last four years after he redshirted in 2018, and Key had a breakout season in 2022. He ranked third on the team with 60 tackles, registering a career-high 12 against LSU, and also recorded three interceptions, 4.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles for a UAB team that was ranked 21st in the nation in passing defense (194.9 ypg). For comparison, that was just four spots below UA.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound safety, who was an honorable mention All-Conference USA honoree, earned a defensive grade of 72.9 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked sixth among C-USA safeties, in his first full year as a starter. Key also graded well as both a tackler (81.1) and in coverage (72.6) during the 2022 season before choosing to enter the transfer portal.

Trey Amos (Louisiana) – No. 191 Overall, No. 37 Cornerback

The 6-foot-1, 197-pound cornerback is the second player at his position to transfer to Alabama in as many years, joining LSU’s Eli Ricks, and gives the Crimson Tide another long option on the boundary after three productive years in Lafayette, La. Amos played in 34 career games for the Ragin’ Cajuns and saw his role, and numbers, increase each year. Initially playing for Billy Napier, a former UA assistant coach, Amos recorded 10 tackles in 11 games as a freshman in 2020 – all of them solo stops – and then 14 tackles in 12 contests the following year.

In 2022, Amos started 10 of the 11 games he played in and finished with 35 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups and one blocked kick. His eight defended passes were tied for the 13th-most in the Sun Belt last season. Amos was also strong in coverage during his time at ULL, allowing catches on 37.4 percent of passes thrown his way, according to PFF. That translates to 37 completions on 99 attempts for 676 yards and four touchdowns over 1,278 snaps.

Tyler Buchner (Notre Dame) – No. 232 Overall, No. 26 Quarterback

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound quarterback played in 10 games as a true freshman in 2021, including eight of the final nine. Buchner scored six touchdowns (3 passing, 3 rushing) and accounted for 634 total yards of offense (298 passing, 336 rushing) while completing 60 percent of his passes and throwing three interceptions – all of this occurring after no senior high school season.

Following Jack Coan’s departure, Buchner stepped into the starting quarterback role in South Bend, Ind., as a sophomore last season but sustained a shoulder injury that kept him out 10 games before returning for the TaxSlayer Bowl against South Carolina, where he was named MVP. He threw for 651 yards, three scores and five picks on 46-of-83 passing (55.4%) in 2022 before transferring after the spring and reuniting with former play-caller, Tommy Rees.

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