Alabama running back Keilan Robinson enters the NCAA transfer portal

Alabama’s offseason attrition continued Tuesday afternoon as running back Keilan Robinson entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal, BamaInsider has confirmed.

Robinson, a junior, sat out last season. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound back was the Crimson Tide’s third-leading rusher in 2019 when he ran for 254 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries.

Robinson, a former four-star recruit, came to Alabama as the No. 5 all-purpose back in the 2019 class. He is currently listed as a running back but also worked out some as a receiver this spring.

“He’s doing great,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said this spring. “He’s got great speed. He’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s really playing fast. He’s playing really good on special teams. He’s a potential kickoff returner for us. He was before when he was a freshman, so that’s certainly a role, and he’s made great progress as a running back. He’s got pretty good carryover, knowledge and experience-wise, from the year before. I’m really pleased with what he’s been doing so far.”

Even without Robinson, Alabama returns one of the nation’s deepest backfields. Brian Robinson Jr. opted to take advantage of the NCAA’s blanket eligibility rule due to COVID-19 and return for a fifth season. The Tide should also see the return of five-star back Trey Sanders, who suffered season-ending injuries the past two years. On top of that, emerging sophomore Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams both performed well during the A-Day game while five-star freshman Camar Wheaton recently joined the program.

Alabama has seen six players transfer out of the program this offseason in kicker Joseph Bulovas (Vanderbilt), linebacker Ben Davis (Texas), linebacker Ale Kaho (UCLA), safety Eddie Smith (Illinois) cornerback Brandon Turnage (Georgia) and cornerback Ronald Williams Jr (Michigan State).