With spring practice in the rearview mirror, Alabama football is now staring down the spring transfer portal window. The portal opens Wednesday, and Crimson Tide players will have the opportunity to seek surroundings if they’d like.

On Monday, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked how he and his staff approach the upcoming window. He praised the attitudes of the Tide’s players, but also issued a warning about what might be on the other side of the portal.

“The guys that you want around you, whether it’s coaches or players, they have a good head on their shoulders,” DeBoer said. “They can have perspective on what they really, truly have here at Alabama. And it’s special, whether it’s the resources that they have and the people that they have around them, in the training room, in the weight room. The coaching staff, I think, is elite as well.

“And so these guys are getting an experience that they should not take for granted. We can talk about the stories of guys who have come in and said how great it is here, or guys that have left and, you know, maybe even wishing they could come back. Be careful what you ask for. The grass is definitely not greener on the other side.”

Offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor left Alabama last offseason, transferring to Iowa. He quickly changed his mind, entered the portal again, and headed back to Tuscaloosa.

DeBoer explained how the coaching staff sees its role for players, as the portal window nears.

“I think for us coaches, the foundation is still the same, right? Coach these guys,” DeBoer said. “You just continue to add to their value, add to what they can do. Make them feel like they’ve got a strong role on our team that they’re developing and growth continues to happen. We see that, and we want to be a part of that.

“When they feel that and get the feedback, and we can be strong with our guys. They know that we care about them, and they know that we need them to help us accomplish our goals as a team. They have their personal goals too, and we want to help them accomplish it. You never know this time of year. We felt last year we didn’t really lose anyone at this time that we felt we were going to have going into the fall. Definitely don’t want to say keeping our fingers crossed, but that’s the case here with the portal.”

The portal will remain open through April 25.