Thirty days ago, Nick Saban hung up his coaching whistle for a set of golf clubs and a microphone on ESPN.

Alabama found a new head coach within 72 hours, keeping within the timeframe athletic director Greg Byrne set. Still, the retirement reopened the transfer portal for Crimson Tide players. The first job for Kalen DeBoer was to recruit his new roster and stem the stream of elite talent leaving for other blue-blood programs.

One month later, the floodgates have closed, for now. The spring transfer window opens on April 16 for two weeks, giving Alabama another chance to refill its roster. While DeBoer was able to take advantage of Washington players who opted to follow their former coach to Tuscaloosa, a few cornerstone pieces of Saban’s final recruiting classes made splash decisions.

Here’s who Alabama lost in the portal following Saban’s retirement.

Isaiah Bond

The first player to leave, Bond quickly transferred to Texas and former Saban assistant Steve Sarkisian. Bond will forever be remembered for ‘Gravedigger’ — his game-winning catch on 4th-and-31 in the Iron Bowl. His James Bond-esque celebration was even mocked following Auburn basketball’s win over UA last week.

Bond built solid chemistry with incumbent quarterback Jalen Milroe and was expected to be a leading receiver for DeBoer’s high-octane offense. Now, UA will rely on returners like Kendrick Law and Kobe Prentice. The arrivals of Ryan Williams (five-star prospect) and Germie Bernard (UW transfer) also became key to reloading Alabama’s roster.

Bond finished the year with 48 catches, four touchdowns and 668 receiving yards.

Caleb Downs

Undoubtedly the biggest loss, Downs will go down as one of the best freshmen in Alabama history and one of the most accomplished one-year players to roll through. Downs led UA with 107 tackles, winning the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year and being a model player under Nick Saban. Ryan Day and Ohio State will get to see the next stages of Downs’ development, as the Tide have to replace its entire starting secondary aside from Malachi Moore.

Kadyn Proctor

A rumored transfer candidate before Saban’s retirement, Proctor’s transfer ultimately led to Iowa self-reporting an NCAA violation for texting Proctor during conference play. Still, the freshman started all 14 games for Alabama at left tackle and created another hole on the offensive line.

Julian Sayin

After enrolling mid-year to be with Alabama during Rose Bowl practices, Sayin didn’t find a place in DeBoer’s quarterback room. Sayin made his departure to Ohio State shortly after Austin Mack, a Washington quarterback prospect, transferred to Alabama. Sayin reportedly had a close relationship with Bill O’Brien, which in part led him to Columbus, Ohio. But O’Brien’s impending appointment as Boston College head coach continued a hectic offseason coaching carousel.

Trey Amos

After transferring from Louisiana-Lafayette Amos was a ready-made cornerback for Alabama to deploy either in its nickel defense or when dealing with an injury. He would’ve been a likely option to fill in for Kool-Aid McKinstry or Terrion Arnold on the boundary.

Amos made 12 tackles and defended five passes before opting for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss.

Amari Niblack

Another pass-catcher expected to take a step up in DeBoer’s offense, Niblack flashed with 314 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Yet, like Bond, Niblack will catch passes from Quinn Ewers in Austin, Texas, next fall.

Jameer Grimsley

Grimsley was the first member of the class of 2024 to leave Alabama. A former top-25 cornerback recruit, Grimsley opted to go back to his home state Florida Gators.

Antonio Kite

Only the second player to make the Alabama-to-Auburn transfer route since 2011 (Corey Grant), Kite is another secondary loss for DeBoer and new defensive coordinator Kane Wommack to mitigate.

Shawn Murphy

A reserve linebacker, Murphy appeared in 18 games, mostly on special teams. He recorded four solo tackles and called it a “pretty easy” choice to transfer to Florida State, which welcomed multiple UA transfers.

Dezz Ricks

A former five-star defensive back prospect in the class of 2023 after reclassifying, Ricks didn’t make a tackle while appearing in two games.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].