Alabama
Alabama freshman cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe plans to enter the transfer portal
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Alabama freshman cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe plans to enter the transfer portal, he told On3 Sports Monday night and confirmed in a social media post.
A Pinson, Alabama native, Mbakwe was a five-star recruit that was rated as the No. 12 overall prospect and No. 2 cornerback nationally in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Mbakwe had committed to and signed with the Crimson Tide under Nick Saban, but stuck with the program after Saban’s retirement and Kalen DeBoer’s hiring last January.
In his first and potentially only season with Alabama, Mbakwe played 11 of the team’s 12 regular-season games and finished with 15 tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass break-ups and an interception.
In a post on Instagram, Mbakwe described his move as a “business decision.”
“This was not an easy decision, but I believe it’s the best step for my personal and professional development and the future I’m working towards for myself and my family,” he wrote.
Mbakwe no longer appears on the 2024 Alabama football roster and a link to his profile page on the team’s official website now comes up with an error message.
Given his lofty standing coming out of Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson, Mbakwe’s departure drew significant interest and curiosity from those around college football, but particularly those in Alabama, who were trying to parse social media posts from other Crimson Tide football players to decipher any possible meaning from them.
Alabama star freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams posted an Instagram story Monday night of a picture of him and Mbakwe, along with the caption “Bingo we got action,” with elephant and bullseye emojis. Williams and Mbakwe are close friends and co-hosts of a podcast, “The New Wave.”
Though the Crimson Tide are set to bring back Domani Jackson and fellow five-star freshman Zabien Brown, Mbakwe becomes the third Alabama defensive back to hit the transfer portal this offseason, joining cornerback Jahlil Hurley and safety DeVonta Smith.
The exits come after an underwhelming first season in Tuscaloosa for DeBoer, the former Washington coach, whose team went 9-3 and wasn’t selected for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.