There was a buzz surrounding Alabama’s transfer portal situation this time a year ago. Big names at high-profile positions were making moves to Tuscaloosa — supplementing a No. 2 signing class from the high school phase of the recruiting calendar.

That group of five who traveled the portal wormhole followed the breakout season of Jameson Williams — once a reserve at Ohio State who became a first rounder in one Crimson Tide season.

So, high expectations.

A mixed bag followed with Jahmyr Gibbs riding the Williams wave to a first-round pick to the same Detroit Lions franchise.

Skip ahead to May 2023 and it’s fair to say the incoming transfer class doesn’t have the same burden of expectation. And while Nick Saban is the first to dismiss recruiting service rankings, they can at least be part of the conversation we’re having over here.

Still in progress, Alabama’s current transfer portal class ranks 64th according to On3 and 65th on 247Sports. Twice, the “Load more” button was required to spot the script-A. It’s worth noting Alabama signed the No. 1 high school recruiting class that ranked among the best of all time.

Last year, Alabama’s portal class ranked 10th with On3 and No. 6 with 247Sports.

How the reality met that expectation ran the spectrum from Gibbs to Tyler Harrell — a speedy receiver from Louisville who caught exactly two passes while appearing in six games.

There was just more sizzle a year ago, carrying momentum from an unsuccessful run to the national title game and a few of the nation’s top players returning.

Almost all of them are gone with Jermaine Burton back for another go but those top national players were drafted No. 1 (Bryce Young) and No. 3 (Will Anderson).

In their wake comes a search for an alpha or two to command a locker room like Young and Anderson. It’s still not clear who the top candidates are but Anderson on A-Day said he’s looking to linebackers Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell to fill his role.

Quarterback is another matter — one that has a rare portal entry.

For the first time since the transfer landscape shifted, Alabama signed a quarterback on the underclassman market. Tyler Buchner has former Notre Dame starter next to his name but he was unlikely to keep that job with ex-Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman sliding into South Bend.

Buchner, the No. 227 player in the portal, according to On3, joins a competition that, frankly, underwhelmed in the A-Day Game. His 6-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio at Notre Dame would have to flip and then some to earn Saban’s trust. And while Alabama’s known to add transfers who would have an inside track to start, the fact neither Jalen Milroe nor Ty Simpson entered the portal in response was notable.

The fourth addition to the list came Tuesday with Louisiana cornerback Trey Amos. He’s ranked 192nd among players in the portal, in On3′s assessment. In 2022, he had 35 tackles and eight pass breakups but didn’t make first-, second- or third-team All-Sun Belt Conference. Amos reportedly had offers from the likes of LSU, Oregon and Oklahoma before picking Alabama.

That’s not to say Amos couldn’t come to Alabama and win a starting job. The hype didn’t help Eli Ricks a year ago. He made a geographically similar move from LSU to Alabama as a highly-coveted cornerback and he didn’t start a game until the end of October.

The two top-100 transfers came to Alabama via the first round of portal swaps. CJ Dippre comes from Maryland as a tight end as the Tide replaces Cameron Latu’s 30 catches for an average of 12.6 yards a pop. He was 31st in the On3 rankings having caught 30 passes for 10.5 yards each.

And the other signee is Trezmen Marshall, a linebacker from Georgia. He was a reserve in three seasons with the Bulldogs, making 19 stops last season. On3 ranks him 72nd among transfers.

There are caveats to the 2022 vs. 2023 comparisons. New portal rules meant underclassmen had two windows to jump in the pool and coaches noted it wasn’t quite as deep as the first wave.

And Alabama is still looking for more. UAB safety Jaylen Key, ranked 157th among transfers by On3, visited Tuscaloosa on Monday.

Grad transfers can still jump into the mix unlike underclassmen so stay tuned but if this Alabama portal class is one to remember, it’ll do so from well off the traditional radar.

2023 Alabama portal addition rankings according to On3

• 31. CJ Dippre, TE, Maryland
• 72. Trezmen Marshall, LB, Georgia
• 192. Trey Amos, CB, Louisiana
• 227. Tyler Buchner, QB, Notre Dame

2022 Alabama class

• 3. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Georgia Tech
• 6. Jermaine Burton, WR, Georgia
• 8. Eli Ricks, CB, LSU
• 66. Tyler Harrell
• 94. Tyler Steen