Yogesh Thanwani

Kalen DeBoer made a significant splash in the transfer portal when he landed Noah Rogers, a 6-foot-2, 197-pound wide receiver from NC State. Rogers originally signed with Ohio State as a five-star recruit in the 2023 class before transferring to NC State after one season in Columbus. And now he’s making another move, this time to the Crimson Tide. His former NC State teammate Justin Jolly had a lot to say about him at the Senior Bowl in Mobile this week.

The Buckeyes have consistently plucked top talent from Alabama’s backyard. More recently, they poached a pair of Alabama transfers in edge rusher Qua Russaw and defensive tackle James Smith, both four-star recruits and former teammates at Carver High School in Montgomery. Now, Ryan Day and legendary defensive line coach Larry Johnson have their sights set on another Birmingham product, 2027 four-star defensive tackle Karlos May out of Ramsay High School.

Just months into his third year at Alabama, DeBoer is watching his roster of assistants thin out considerably. First, it was wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard, who landed the head coaching gig at Oregon State. Then, quarterback coach Nick Sheridan jumped to Michigan State as offensive coordinator. Now, the Crimson Tide is losing someone who bleeds crimson and white through and through.