Former Florida edge commits to Alabama in transfer portal

Alabama football landed a transfer portal commitment at a position of need on Tuesday. Edge rusher Kelby Collins committed to the Crimson Tide, after beginning his college career at Florida.

Collins shared the news to his social media accounts, in conjunction with Hayes Fawcett of On3.

Collins commitment means the Gardendale product will return to his home state. He considered UA out of high school in the class of 2023, but instead opted to join the Gators.

He’ll help out at a position where Alabama is currently a bit thin. Que Robinson, whose 2024 season ended prematurely due to an injury, is out of eligibility, and the Tide already lost Keanu Koht to the transfer portal, so another hand to help out in the pass rush was a key portal target.

Collins started out as an edge at Florida, making 23 total tackles with 1.5 sacks as a depth piece. His efforts in 2023 earned him freshman All-SEC honors.

However, a position switch for the 2024 season saw him buried on the Gator depth chart. Collins moved to three-technique end role, and only totaled six tackles during the 2024 season, with all of them coming against Mississippi State.

The 247Sports composite ranked Collins as a four-star portal prospect after he entered. He was a three-star recruiting out of high school at Gardendale.

Collins is listed at 6-foot-4, 278 pounds. He was 265 pounds coming out of high school.

The transfer portal is currently open for undergraduate entry until Dec. 28. Alabama players will receive an extra window following its season-ending appearance in the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl.