The retirement of Nick Saban is seeing its first founds as the Alabama Crimson Tide have lost one of its best to the transfer portal.

Freshman phenom and safety Caleb Downs has entered the transfer portal just a few days after Alabama announced the hiring of Kalen DeBoer. This is a massive hit to the Crimson Tide defense as reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Source: Alabama freshman All-American safety Caleb Downs is starting the process of entering the NCAA transfer portal. He was one of the country’s top freshman in 2023 and looms as a high pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/u7Fe9bLxSD

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 17, 2024

Downs finished his first season in college football with 107 tackles, the most by an Alabama freshman in over 50 years. He also earned AP second-team All-American honors and multiple others across different outlets.

He immediately becomes the best defender in the transfer portal, and his suitor will get a star in the secondary immediately.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports.