Getty Nick Saban and Alabama football are getting hit hard by the NCAA transfer portal.
It was not all Seth McLaughlin’s fault that Alabama lost the Rose Bowl to Michigan on Monday. But he was certainly in the middle—quite literally—of the biggest problem that the Crimson Tide had, as the team’s offensive line simply could not contain the Wolverines’ defensive front. Whether by his choice or by mutual decision, word came out on Wednesday that McLaughlin would not be finishing his career with Nick Saban and Alabama football, and would enter the transfer portal.
It is normally a blow to a program to lose an experienced senior with two years of eligibility. That is what McLaughlin was set to be in 2024—he had already graduated (summa cum laude, with a 4.0 GPA) and achieved his master’s degree in hospitality management. But Alabama is also set to lose Terrence Ferguson II, who could be a logical replacement for McLaughin, to the transfer portal as well.
Quite suddenly, the transfer portal as left Nick Saban with a pretty sizable problem in the middle of the offensive line.
Alabama Football OL Struggled in the Rose Bowl
It could be argued that losing McLaughlin is not much of a blow, not after what we saw in the Rose Bowl. McLaughlin and quarterback Jalen Milroe struggled to connect on several snaps against Michigan, causing an offense already facing a difficult challenge even further trouble.
It didn’t help that Milroe was sacked six times. Milroe addressed the snap troubles after the game.
“With anything it takes preparation, whether it’s pass protection, whether it’s the running game, the passing game,” Milroe said, per the Tuscaloosa News. “The quarterback and the center have to have a great relationship and that’s something that we tried to build throughout the whole season. There’s a multitude of things that me and Seth talk about in that regard. That’s something that we do talk about.”
Of course, it should have been something that should not have been a problem by Game 14. Seth McLaughlin took over center duties for Alabama football midway through last season and was the middle of the line for all of this year.
Still, he struggled. At Pro Football Focus, which grades every player on a week-by-week basis, McLaughlin’s grades had been steadily sagging. He earned a grade of 73.2 and 74.3 in his last two seasons, but seemed to struggle this year, with a grade of only 59.4.
Tide fans were not shy about welcoming McLaughlin’s transfer.
One posted on Twitter/X an image of an NBA ref tossing a player from a game with the caption: “Nick Saban to Seth McLaughlin after the rose bowl game.”
The CFB Talk Daily accounted tweeted: “Alabama starting C Seth McLaughlin is expected to enter the transfer portal They ran him out of Tuscaloosa.”
Nick Saban Has 15 Players in Transfer Portal
At 6-foot-4 and 301 pounds, McLaughlin surely will have transfer portal suitors, and he could give the NFL a try. It is likely, though, that despite his academic achievement, Nick Saban won’t shed too many tears over his departure.
He does have a bit of an exodus on his hands. Alabama football now has 15 players in the NCAA transfer portal.
But center is the problem. If not McLaughlin and not Ferguson, then who? Maybe Saban can find a center on the transfer market. Maybe he can reroute a current or incoming lineman into being a center.
The Tide have three incoming members of the Class of 2024 who can play interior offensive line. The highest rated is Casey Poe, who projects to be a guard and was ranked No. 3 at his position by ESPN. He could, perhaps, be converted into a center.
Either way, there aren’t a whole lot of apparent answers. Center was a position of concern going into in the Rose Bowl. It was a concern during the Rose Bowl. And looks like it is a concern heading into 2024.