Jaylen Mbakwe caused a chaotic Monday and Tuesday for Alabama football with his transfer portal flirtation. Monday evening, the freshman defensive back, a former five-star prospect, announced he planned to enter the portal, using the words “business decision” in a social media post.

Then, on Tuesday, after meeting with Alabama coaching staffers, he changed his mind, announcing he’d remain in Tuscaloosa. On Wednesday, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked for his perspective on what transpired.

“His conversation with me is that he wanted to come back,” DeBoer said. “Really, it’s not that complicated. First of all, the kid loves this place. He’s a great teammate. Works extremely hard. Obviously, we see what he did on the field. He’s extremely versatile.”

Mbakwe earned rotation snaps at cornerback throughout the season. He also took over as one of Alabama’s primary punt returners and performed well in that spot.

In high school, he also played offense, something DeBoer acknowledged could happen again in the future, especially with Alabama down to four scholarship wide receivers for the ReliaQuest Bowl. The UA coach acknowledged that Mbakwe’s brief portal announcement was simply a sign of the times.

“We are in the world right now where that’s what it is,” DeBoer said. “So we’re excited that he wanted to be here with us and back out there going to work today.”

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack shared DeBoer’s happiness over the youngster’s return.

“Really excited,” Wommack said. “This is a time where there’s a lot of people, a lot of voices out there, all those things. I think Jaylen did what Jaylen wanted to do, which, he chose Alabama out of high school and he chose Alabama now. And we’re happy to have him.”

Wommack also discussed the possibility of Mbakwe playing offense.

“I think Jaylen Mbakwe’s a great football player, you know what I mean?” Wommack said. “And wherever he plays on our team, he makes our roster better.”

Alabama still has one game remaining, the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The game is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CT that day, and will be aired on ESPN.