Alabama Transfer Reveals Why He Left The Program for Colorado
Alabama Transfer Reveals Why He Left The Program for Colorado originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Alabama Crimson Tide were not safe from the transfer portal this offseason, losing 24 players after Kalen DeBoer's first year.
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One of the players the team lost was defensive lineman Jehiem Oatis, who had been with the Crimson Tide for three years. Oatis committed to the Colorado Buffaloes.
He explained to On3's Pete Nakos that it had to do with playing for legendary head coach Nick Saban. Oatis played for Saban for two seasons before the Alabama coach retired following the end of the 2023 campaign.
Saban's last game as head coach was the 27-20 overtime loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the College Football Playoff.
Alabama Crimson Tide legend Nick Saban. © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
'I left Alabama because I came in with coach Saban,' Oatis said. 'I took it to heart. That was one of my biggest dreams: To play in college football for Coach Saban and win a ring. When I heard he was leaving — nobody saw it coming.'
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Oatis played in 15 games in his first two seasons at Alabama, recording 55 total tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. The 2024 season did not go to plan for Oatis, however.
He missed the majority of spring practice due to multiple surgeries, but was able to get back to full health when the season started in August.
Even though he was healthy, he could not find playing time and opted to use his redshirt year and transfer. Oatis played in four games for the Crimson Tide last season and recorded two total tackles.
Speaking of former Saban players, Mark Ingram II and CJ Mosley have been in the spotlight recently. Ingram responded to Florida State Seminoles quarterback Thomas Castellanos' trash-talking before their season opener against Alabama.
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Castellanos stated that he was no longer afraid of Alabama now that the legendary coach was no longer there. For Mosley, he decided to retire from football after a solid 11-year NFL career officially.
Alabama and Florida State face off on August 30 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Related: Bill Belichick Earns Commitment From Former Alabama Pledge
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
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