TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The transfer portal officially opened on Monday, and while Alabama’s focus is on the upcoming College Football Playoff, one of the most interesting portal entries emerged from Tuscaloosa. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner, who transferred in from Notre Dame in the spring, has re-entered the portal, this time as a lacrosse player.

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Buchner, who started against South Florida in Week 3 and finished this season completing 8 of 19 passes for 61 yards and added one rushing touchdown, used his one-time transfer in football to move from Notre Dame to Alabama. Since he’s entering the portal for a different sport, he’ll be eligible to play lacrosse immediately at his next school. If he chooses to play football, he would have to sit for a year because he hasn’t graduated. From the lacrosse lens, there’s a reason to believe that he will draw interest.

Before fully committing to football, Buchner was a lacrosse phenom. He committed to play at Michigan in 2017 as a middle schooler, and in the seventh grade, he was clocked shooting a lacrosse ball at 100 mph. According to Inside Lacrosse, an ESPN affiliate site that covers the sport, Buchner held a 94/100 grade, which made him one of the highest rated players in his class nationally at that time. He played lacrosse in high school for The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, Calif.

Here's Tyler Buchner shooting 100 MPH in 7th grade 💯

(via @MadDogLax) pic.twitter.com/i5FtFTS6sF

— TLN 🥍 (@LacrosseNetwork) December 4, 2023

Buchner’s intended transfer drops Alabama’s quarterback group from five scholarship players to four: Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, Dylan Lonergan and Eli Holstein. But five-star prospect Julian Sayin will be a midseason enrollee, and Alabama will be back to five in January.

That wasn’t the only portal decision out of Alabama on Monday: Wide receiver Thaiu Jones-Bell was the other. The class of 2020 recruit did not play this season due to an unspecified medical issue, which was made known on the first day of preseason camp in August.

Coach Nick Saban said during Sunday’s Rose Bowl teleconference that he planned to have an open door at his office on Monday for any players with questions about their next move, whether it’s transferring, declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft or returning. Otherwise, the next few weeks provide a little downtime before bowl practice ramps up.

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Playoff practice will begin in mid-December, and in the meantime, players will participate in organized lifting and running and some 7-on-7 drills on their own while the focus shifts to final exams in their classes. But the coaches will be busy with roster management between the portal and finishing up on the high school recruiting trail before early signing day on Dec. 20.

Historically, Playoff teams haven’t faced a lot of player movement leading up to the games, mostly because players want to see the championship hunt through. There’s a small window after the championship game for players on Playoff teams to enter the portal. But Alabama can keep tabs on players entering from other programs, host them on visits and secure commitments. The brief portal era suggests Alabama will be active to some degree: Last season the team secured tight end CJ Dippre from Maryland in December. In 2021, while competing in the Playoff, Alabama landed Jahmyr Gibbs and Eli Ricks.

There’s no shortage of talent available, but Alabama will take a targeted approach, much like it has during the past few years, to add veterans who can supplement its roster. Spring usually has been a busier period in terms of commitments, but there are a few position groups that Alabama could target in the portal.

Running back

Presumably, Alabama will lose its two leading rushers in seniors Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams, leaving just three scholarship running backs: sophomore Jamarion Miller and freshmen Justice Haynes and Richard Young. It’s also worth noting that Alabama does not have any running back commitments in its 2024 recruiting class. Outside of McClellan’s recent foot injury, this group has been healthy this season, but three running backs likely won’t suffice for next season, from a depth standpoint and a functionality standpoint in practice between the first-, second- and third-team offense and the scout team. That could change in the next few weeks as there are high school prospects still at play, and landing a commitment would be a boost; think back to last season and how Kadyn Proctor’s December flip nullified a need for a tackle out of the portal.

One of the biggest challenges in recruiting running backs out of the portal is that it’s a position where it’s almost required to promise a featured role (see Gibbs). Alabama has a promising young core with Miller, Haynes and Young, but there’s no questioning the numbers. Plus, some hybrid players could fill backfield duties if needed like receivers Kendrick Law, who already has been doing some of that, or Emmanuel Henderson Jr., who was one of the top-rated high school backs in the 2022 cycle before switching to receiver.

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Outside linebacker

Alabama’s recruiting prowess at linebacker, particularly outside backer, means there’s plenty of young talent on the roster, but it’s hard to ignore the production and experience leaving. Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell likely will leave, while senior Quandarrius Robinson could come back but participated in this year’s senior day ceremony.

The next wave behind them is sophomore Keanu Koht, who flashed a few times in blowout games and redshirt freshman Jeremiah Alexander, who is starting to transition to playing inside linebacker largely similar to Jihaad Campbell’s path. Alabama stacked talent in its 2023 class with Keon Keeley, Yhonzae Pierre and Qua Russaw. The talent is there, but adding a proven, veteran presence can’t hurt.

Wide receiver

Jones-Bell’s departure adds to the statistic that between the 2020-2022 recruiting cycles, seven of the 13 wide receiver signees are no longer with the team. And senior Jermaine Burton is likely entering the NFL Draft after this season. There’s good depth with players like Isaiah Bond, Ja’Corey Brooks, Malik Benson, Kobe Prentice, Law and Jalen Hale, but there’s always a chance for further attrition (as has been the case the past few years), and Alabama never can have enough dangerous pass catchers.

Alabama only has two high school receivers committed: four-star prospects Amari Jefferson and Rico Scott. So there’s not a big number coming in, which could open spots via the portal. Several well-known commodities have entered from across the country, and the talent pool will get bigger in the coming days.

Secondary

The depth issue in the secondary leaving spring practice prompted the Alabama staff to add Trey Amos and Jaylen Key, who have been stellar this season. There’s more attrition on the way with the possibility of four starters leaving after the season: Key, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Terrion Arnold and Malachi Moore. Alabama responded on the recruiting trail with arguably the best defensive back haul in the country with six commitments (five of them four-star prospects or higher), but the program could opt for seeking veterans via the portal.

There’s a skeleton for next year’s starting secondary with Amos and Caleb Downs returning. Senior Kristian Story did not participate in the senior day ceremony, which could signify a return, and redshirt freshman Earl Little Jr, a starter during spring, should see a bigger role next season. Adding more veterans to mix with the upcoming young talent already in place and arriving soon would fill out this group nicely.

(Top photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)

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