Goodman: Losing Caleb Downs would sink Alabama

This is an opinion column.

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Don’t blame Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Caleb Downs for entering the transfer portal. Blame Alabama for not doing more to keep him invested in the school he represented.

Alabama can’t keep the national freshman of the year happy? Without Nick Saban, Downs doesn’t see playing for Alabama as a worthwhile partnership? That’s a colossal fail for Alabama and, frankly, an indictment on the entire enterprise that is college football.

Downs was supposed to be a team leader keeping Saban’s roster together. If he goes, Alabama’s place atop college football goes with him. That doesn’t mean Alabama can’t climb its way back, but getting there takes a new route.

Downs is expected to follow former Alabama defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson to Georgia. Make no mistake about it. If Alabama loses Downs to the rival it just defeated in the SEC championship game, then something went completely wrong with the transition of power from former coach Nick Saban to new coach Kalen DeBoer.

CASAGRANDE: Kiffin among buzzards circling Alabama

Saban used to tell recruits that playing for Alabama created value for themselves. They listened, they learned and now they’re cashing in.

Attrition was inevitable, but tearing Alabama apart post-Saban almost feels like a game for some of these rivals. Nasty business, this life in the SEC.

With Saban, Alabama was a mighty fortress. With Saban gone, the castle walls are being breached. Four players, including Iron Bowl hero Isaiah Bond, have transferred in the last week. More are in the process of picking between new schools and possibly returning to Alabama. Even Lane Kiffin was in Tuscaloosa recently and dreaming about Saban’s old players.

Someone needs to tell Joey Freshwater that he’s not allowed within 200 yards of campus.

How much is Saban to blame for what’s happening at Alabama after his retirement? The question needs to be asked.

In the old days, kings had succession plans. That’s how the crown stayed in power and kept the wolves away. Saban apparently had a plan for everything except keeping his players at Alabama after he retired. Maybe it’s not on Saban, but blaming DeBoer doesn’t seem fair either.

Alabama hasn’t been this vulnerable since the Mike Shula years. That’s a testament to Saban’s greatness, but also reminder of how tough it is to remain on top in the SEC. What a mess, and hopefully DeBoer is a quick learner because everyone coming for him was trained by Saban himself.

DeBoer called Alabama “the standard” during his speech at the basketball game, but the Crimson Tide is beginning to learn that in this modern age of college football nothing matters more than dollar signs in the bank account. That’s the game. Either play it, or wave good-bye to wins and all of the economic privilege that comes with them.

Maybe it’s time for “the standard” to change.

I don’t mean Alabama being replaced by Texas or Georgia as the king of the SEC. I mean Alabama setting a new framework for how athletes are paid to play. Saban ran a dictatorship, but the new era of college football is trending more towards a shared business between universities and players. Embracing the changes seems better than fighting them.

The players always mattered more than the coach. Saban would tell anyone that. That’s why he dedicated so much time, energy, attention and resources towards recruiting. The difference now is that players have all the power even after they arrive on campus. The transfer portal is a payday whether players use it or not.

For so long, the economics of college football revolved around the coaches. That’s not the case anymore. When Saban retired, the old era of college football officially ended. The game is still about winning, but it’s going to come at a price set by the best players.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the most controversial sports book ever written, “We Want Bama”. It’s a love story about wild times, togetherness and rum.