Alabama's woes continue to mount as the Crimson Tide suffers a critical blow, losing one of its top recruits in the transfer portal. Former five-star wide receiver Jaylen Mbakwe was not the only player to abandon ship, but Keon Keeley, the team's No. 2 overall recruit from the 2023 class, has taken the biggest hit.
The highly touted edge-rusher had been expected to be a key contributor for the Crimson Tide, but in two seasons under Lane Kiffin, he saw limited playing time and accumulated just 16 tackles, four sacks, and three sacks. Keeley's lack of usage is puzzling, given his perfect 100 prospect rating from 247Sports and his offer sheet that included several top programs.
The loss of Keeley marks the third major defection for Alabama since its Rose Bowl defeat to Indiana, with several players entering the transfer portal in recent weeks. The Crimson Tide's troubles seem to be mounting, as they also fell embarrassingly 38-3 to No. 1 Indiana in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup.
The departure of Keeley leaves Alabama with a significant hole at edge-rusher and raises questions about the team's depth and leadership. With several top recruits already leaving the program, it remains to be seen how Kiffin will replenish his talent pipeline. One thing is certain, however: Alabama's woes are far from over.
The highly touted edge-rusher had been expected to be a key contributor for the Crimson Tide, but in two seasons under Lane Kiffin, he saw limited playing time and accumulated just 16 tackles, four sacks, and three sacks. Keeley's lack of usage is puzzling, given his perfect 100 prospect rating from 247Sports and his offer sheet that included several top programs.
The loss of Keeley marks the third major defection for Alabama since its Rose Bowl defeat to Indiana, with several players entering the transfer portal in recent weeks. The Crimson Tide's troubles seem to be mounting, as they also fell embarrassingly 38-3 to No. 1 Indiana in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup.
The departure of Keeley leaves Alabama with a significant hole at edge-rusher and raises questions about the team's depth and leadership. With several top recruits already leaving the program, it remains to be seen how Kiffin will replenish his talent pipeline. One thing is certain, however: Alabama's woes are far from over.
alabama's situation is straight outta the movie! all these talented players just up and leaving... it's crazy to think keon keeleys 100 prospect rating didn't guarantee him a spot on the team lol like what even is that? anyway, i feel for lane kiffin he's gotta figure out how to keep his recruits from jumping ship ASAP 
maybe he can learn a thing or two from the master himself, will smiths iconic coach role in he got game 
they got some huge problems, especially with that edge rusher keon keeley. 16 tackles in two seasons? that's not even close to what you'd expect from a 5-star recruit 
i mean, he was supposed to be a key contributor and now he's just another transfer casualty. it's like they don't know how to manage their talent or something 
lane kiffin needs to step up his game big time if bama wants to turn things around. they can't keep losing top recruits like this 
They're literally losing their top recruits left and right, and it's not even 2023 yet! 
I mean, Jaylen Mbakwe and Keon Keeley are just the latest to bail, and it's like they can't seem to get anything right. Limited playing time for Keeley is just wild given his 100 prospect rating 
. Alabama fans are probably already hyperventilating 
, and rightfully so! The Crimson Tide needs to step up their game ASAP or risk getting left behind #BamaBlues #CrimsonTideTroubles #CollegeFootballDrama
. Like, they were supposed to be a powerhouse team but now they're struggling to keep their top recruits 
. I feel like Kiffin needs to get his act together and figure out what's going on with the program 
. They lost that game to Indiana 38-3 which is crazy 
... Alabama used to be so dominant, now they're just trying to survive 
. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out 
️. 16 tackles in two seasons? That's not even a decent number of appearances, let alone production 
. I think this says a lot about Kiffin's coaching style and the team's depth issues. With Keeley gone, it's going to be tough for Alabama to fill that edge-rusher position 
.
Maybe it's time for him to re-evaluate his strategy and focus on building a stronger team culture. 
. I mean, Keon Keeley was supposed to be a game-changer, and now he's just gone? It's like, what happened, Coach K? Did you guys not see him coming as a stud edge-rusher? 
. Will Kiffin be able to turn things around? 
Only time will tell! 
... and now this guy Keeley leaves? 
I guess they'll just have to find someone else to play edge-rusher, but how hard is it gonna be? 
That's crazy! And now Keon Keeley is outta there? The kid was supposed to be a game-changer at edge-rusher, but he didn't even get a chance to prove himself. It's like Lane Kiffin doesn't know what he's doing with his talent. 
Keeley's exit is a huge blow, especially considering he was the No. 2 recruit in '23. And let's not forget Mbakwe, who bailed too. This is a perfect storm of bad recruiting and poor coaching... I mean, what's going on with Lane Kiffin? 
anyone else think it's suspicious that lane kiffin didn't give him more playing time? like 16 tackles in two seasons is not exactly setting the world on fire 
i feel like keeley was more of a pipe dream than a real prospect... and now bama's got another major loss with jaylen mbakwe too 
. Like, how do you keep attractin' top talent when your existing players are bailin' out left and right? It's a tough spot for them, but maybe this is an opportunity to regroup and come back stronger 
. Maybe Kiffin just needs some time to retool his program and get things back on track 
. We'll see what happens next!