Trey Amos
It’a hard to envision a scenario where Amos is not starting at cornerback if he stays at Alabama. He showed lockdown tendencies in limited action last year, and appeared to be primed to take the torch from Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry. Instead, he hit the portal and transferred to conference foe Ole Miss.
Amos should be one of the Rebels’ top defenders. Like Alabama, Ole Miss is expected to be an SEC title and College Football Playoff contender. I expect Trey Amos to do very well in Oxford, but I would still contend that Alabama would’ve given him a better shot to win a national title and become a first-round pick.
Earl Little Jr.
Staying in the secondary, cornerback Earl Little Jr. would’ve had an opportunity to compete in the nickel at Alabama. Perhaps he would’ve still been a backup; Wommack’s 4-2-5 scheme prefers a safety-type to a corner-type at the Husky position, and veteran DeVonta Smith is a super physical presence that appears to have the spot locked down.
Little chose to transfer to Florida State, where he still isn’t listed as a bona fide starter. He will surely get his opportunities, but will likely start out behind veteran Kevin Knowles. Knowles made 31 stops last season and is already familiar with Florida State’s defensive system. In a year where the Alabama secondary was wide open, this feels like a lateral move at best for Earl Little.
Jake Pope
Pope was another in a long line of defensive back defections for the Crimson Tide. Bama is now set at safety with Malachi Moore and Michigan transfer Keon Sabb, but Pope was long gone before Sabb got in the door.
If he would’ve waited a little longer and realized that Caleb Downs was leaving the program, I think Pope might have stayed. He showed promise during his time in Tuscaloosa and would’ve had a legitimate chance to compete for a starting role.
Jake Pope transferred to Georgia, a program that has been equally successful over the last five years, and he won’t have to adjust to the winning culture in Athens. However, he left what was once a fairly depleted safety room to join one of the deepest position groups in college football.
With veteran Dan Jackson and future first-rounder Malaki Starks back, the Dawgs’ starting safety spots are locked up. 5-star true freshman KJ Bolden is the next man up, and Kirby Smart already has three 4-star safeties in the class of 2025 that Pope will have to fend off.
He could compete for a starting role next fall, but the path to playing time was clearer in Tuscaloosa.
