What's been said about Alabama's five transfers

With seven players drafted into the NFL and five more players signing as undrafted free agents, Alabama needed to replenish the talent pool.

Although the Crimson Tide continues to recruit at an elite level, signing the No. 1 recruiting class in eight of the last 10 seasons, Alabama also needed high-end talent that would be ready to start at one of the holes left vacant.

Enter Jahmyr Gibbs, Eli Ricks, Jermaine Burton, Tyler Harrell and Tyler Steen, Alabama’s five transfers who will look to make an impact on the 2022 campaign. Before they can get on the field, each transfer has had to adjust to what Nick Saban calls "the Alabama standard."

"I think that all the new players that come in, it's a little different culture here," Saban said. "They all have to sorta buy into the culture of how we do things, what we do, not easily satisfied with what we do and how we do it and to challenge yourself to be the best that you can be on every play. I think that's the question that I would have for a lot of different players."

Here’s a look at how each transfer has progressed through camp and what they can offer Alabama this season.

Jahmyr Gibbs, RB

Gibbs’ impact in Tuscaloosa was immediate. When he exploded past Brian Branch for a 75-yard touchdown, Gibbs showed off his dynamic speed, his vision, sashaying by a few defenders including Henrey To’o To’o and his ability to get to the second level quickly.

His elite pass-catching ability coupled with his blazing speed made him a weapon a Georgia Tech as he tallied 1,979 yards of total offense with the Yellow Jackets. While he may not be the typical bell-cow back, touting the ball more than 20 times per game, Gibbs’ skillset is something Alabama has never seen in its program. He’s a mirror image of Alvin Kamara, a do-it-all running back who lives up to the “little wide receiver,” Will Anderson referred to him during SEC Media Days.

While Gibbs may not have the heavy running workload that other Alabama running backs had in the past, his catching ability gives an Alabama offense that threw for over 5,000 yards last season another weapon to use at their disposal. Expect Gibbs to be an impact player right away as a combo running back and as a punt returner, a role he’ll likely assume with JoJo Earle sidelined with an injury.

“Jahmyr has been doing great,” To’oTo’o said. “So fast, so elusive, gets in and out of his cuts so quick. I’ve never guarded a back like him before. Being able to see that has been so helpful to me learning how I can work on my game.”

Eli Ricks, CB

With Josh Jobe and Jayln Armour-Davis opting to go to the NFL, Alabama returned just two cornerbacks that saw significant playing time last season in Kool-Aid McKinstry and Khyree Jackson.

The gap in experience level pushed the Crimson Tide to go after Eli Ricks. The former five-star defensive back lived up to his high recruiting marks as a freshman at LSU. In 2020 he was named to the Freshman All-SEC team teaming up with Derek Stingley Jr. to form a stingy duo. That season he recorded 20 total tackles with four interceptions, two of which he returned for a touchdown. However, Ricks has battled through injuries that have severely limited his development, as he recorded just 13 starts over two seasons.

The injuries have forced Alabama to go slower with Ricks throughout fall camp, including the team’s first scrimmage. With Jackson held out due to a groin injury, redshirt freshman Terrion Arnold got the nod to work opposite of McKinstry, not Ricks.

On Wednesday, the injury bug struck Ricks again as Saban confirmed that the cornerback suffered a "small back injury" that he suspects should not keep the junior out long term.

With Ricks off the field, the gap to the field only widens as Arnold and Jackson will battle it out for the other starting cornerback spot.

“He's made a lot of improvement,” Saban said. “I think that Eli sort of with the injuries that he had and the time that he was off, it was really a more difficult transition for him physically, emotionally, mentally, to come from where he was, to where he needs to get to to be a kind of player that he wants to be. And we certainly want to help him do that in every way we can. I think that sometimes when you go through all those things, it can affect your confidence a little bit because you get frustrated and struggle because you're not used to being in the kind of condition that you once were. No fault of his, but he had some difficult circumstances to overcome with the injuries and so forth. But he is making very, very good progress physically and on the field in terms of grasping the system and having a better understanding of what's required of him to be a good player.”

Jermaine Burton, WR

When Alabama lost Jameson Williams, John Metchie III and Slade Bolden to the NFL, the trio also their 217 receptions for 3,122 yards and 26 touchdowns of production from last season with them.

With the need for a No. 1 receiver, Alabama brought in Jermaine Burton along with five Rivals100 receivers in Aaron Anderson, Isaiah Bond, Kendrick Law, Kobe Prentice, Shazz Preston.

Nick Saban called Burton the “most-consistent receiver” through camp so far, while Bryce Young has raved about his competitiveness and work ethic on the field. His demeanor has also caught the eye of safety DeMarcco Hellams.

“Jermaine, he’s fast," Helleams said. "He gets vertical fast. He’s a good route runner. So every day in practice — we call it good-on-good periods — you’re gonna get the best matchup.”

Burton is expected to lock down one of the three starting receiver spots and because of his building rapport with Young, may be seeing an increase in production. In his two seasons with Georgia, Burton played more of a secondary role behind George Pickens in 2020 and Brock Bowers in 2021. As a result, Burton tallied 901 yards receiving on 26 catches and eight touchdowns. He’ll hope to follow in the footsteps of Williams who tallied 266 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons with Ohio State before, exploding for more than 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Crimson Tide.

Tyler Harrell, WR

Along with Burton, Alabama also brought in deep-play threat Tyler Harrell. The junior, who was recently clocked in with a sub-4.3 40-yard dash, led the Cardinals with six receiving touchdowns while also averaging a team-high 29.06 yards per catch.

Although his quickness and deep-play ability have Alabama fans drooling over the speedster, the Crimson Tide has opted to take it slower with Harrell as he was used only as a deep-threat with the Cardinals.

According to Pro Football Focus, 20 of Harrell’s 36 targets last year came on passes of 20 yards or more with junior running go routes and skinny posts with the Cardinals. Harrell can’t afford to be a one-trick pony in Alabama’s offense, hence the extra focus on development. If Harrell can build a stronger route tree, he can be a major addition to an offense that averaged 338.2 yards per game last season.

“He’s been working really hard. He's been asking a bunch of questions, soaking everything in. And then obviously throughout the offseason, we've seen a lot of speed. So down the field, he ran really well. He’s run a lot of stuff down the field. Being explosive is something that is definitely a premium for us.

“But really what sticks out is a willingness to learn. We’re right next to each other in the locker room. He's been asking me questions, signals, things that I like, stuff that he likes, just bouncing stuff off. So his willingness to learn, how quickly he can pick up on things, I think what he can do on the field is special on top of that. That stuff has really stuck out with me a lot.” Young said.

Tyler Steen, OT

Tyler Steen’s addition to a struggling Alabama offense line was welcomed after Evan Neal was taken at No. 7 in the NFL Draft.

The Crismon Tide’s struggles to keep Young protected were well documented as Alabama allowed 2.80 sacks per game, good for 107th in the country.

Steen did not allow a sack in 31 starts with Vanderbilt and played two seasons at left tackle, which should be stability as Alabama returns four offensive line starters. Steen should take over Neal's spot at left tackle and which will add more consistency with the offensive line.

That consistency could lead to more offense, but more importantly, a resurgence in the running game as Alabama looks for its mean-streak upfront.

"He just came in, put his head down and went straight to work," Emil Ekiyor Jr. said. "He’s kind of a quiet guy, but he’s got a long with the guys in the room well and showed some really good flashes so far and then did really good in practice yesterday. So we’ll just see how he keeps progressing, but he’s came in, worked really hard and done a really good job.”