Alabama loses third defensive back to transfer portal

On Monday, On3's Pete Nakos revealed that blue-chip safety Jake Pope has entered the transfer portal, likely bringing an end to his career with the Alabama Crimson Tide and removing yet another name from its depleted list of defensive backs.

Pope, a four-star redshirt freshman, joins Earl Little Jr. and Kristian Story in hitting the portal despite seeming to be "in line to compete for playing time next fall," according to AL.com's Nick Alvarez.  

"Instead, all will be playing their football out of Tuscaloosa," Alvarez added.

So what's driving these departures? It's not that there won't be an opportunity to play, as in addition to the three portal players, Alabama has three defensive backs headed to the NFL: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Terrion Arnold and Jalen Key.

However, as is normal in Tuscaloosa, there's plenty of talent at every position, including defensive back, and one safety spot is already locked down by Caleb Downs, a true freshman who impressed with his play this season.

If this year is any indication, snaps at the other spots in the defensive backfield may be hard to come by. After all, when McKinstry was hurt playing against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, it wasn't one of the heralded youngsters who got a chance. Instead, senior Trey Amos was pressed into duty and immediately made an impact, breaking up a pass intended for Georgia's best offensive player, tight end Brock Bowers.

Compare that to Pope's season. As Alvarez noted, Pope played in 11 games, but mostly on special teams.

"Pope ... would rotate on defense late during blowouts," he wrote. "He did not record a tackle."

Nothing at Alabama is guaranteed, whereas at many other programs, a talented player like Pope can likely find meaningful playing time immediately, as can Little and Story, both of whom were also four-star recruits.

While those players look to fit in elsewhere, Alabama's two-deep depth chart has been pillaged of almost all the defensive backs listed in September.

There's plenty of raw talent for head coach Nick Saban to consider, including four-star recruits like Antonio Kite, Tony Mitchell and DeVonta Smith and five-star Dezz Ricks.

But opportunities can be fleeting for Crimson Tide players hoping to compete for snaps. If these highly regarded young players don't take advantage of this chance in spring and early fall, they might find their names in the portal next.