Alabama football is losing a projected starter at tight end to the transfer portal. What will the Tide do now that they have lost Kedrick James?
When you’re as successful as Alabama football, you’re used to losing players to the transfer portal. However, it is usually because good players can’t see the field due to talent above them. It is very rare for projected starters to transfer in the summer for the Tide. That was makes Kedrick James entering the transfer portal so big.
The reason why James is leaving the Tide is still unknown, but he was suspended the first four games of this season by Saban for team violations last year. No matter what the reason is, he will likely be off the roster by the time the season rolls around. So, how will this affect the Tide?
The good news for Alabama is that they were preparing for this in some way. Since James was already suspended, they are looking for someone else to start against Duke. They also moved Cameron Latu from defense end to tight end in the spring. This will just force him to be ready to contribute earlier than the Tide had hoped.
The Tide will also have a few other players at tight end, including Major Tennison and Miller Forristall. Forristall was already expected to see his role increase in 2019, but this makes it a necessity for him to become a quality starter.
The bad news for Alabama is that they have now lost three of their top tight ends from last season. They already lost Irv Smith Jr. and Hale Hentges, and James makes it three. Also, James had the potential to be one of Saban’s best tight ends since he took over at Alabama. Every expectation was for him to be the star in Alabama’s offense once he came back from suspension, and now the passing game will have to rely even more on the wide receivers.
If Miller Forristall or Cameron Latu turn into a quality starter for the Tide, they will keep their offense on the exact same track it was on last year. If they fail to live up to expectations, Alabama football fans will miss a player in Kedrick James who never caught a pass.