Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama is not just looking to replenish its depleted roster; it is also seeking a new face to help its recruiting efforts. The program is looking for a new associate director of player personnel. While no favorites have been reported in the media, the Tide may have found the person in a former LSU staffer who helped launch Jayden Daniels’ Heisman campaign.

On Tuesday, former LSU director of player retention, Sherman Wilson, took to social media and hinted at leaving Baton Rouge for Alabama. He shared an “🐘” emoji, which is Bama’s celebrated mascot, Big Al. Not just that, a fan commented that, “Sherm….so you are at Bama now,” to which he replied with a “😎” emoji.

The vacancy became available after Alabama’s director of player personnel, Eron Hodges, accompanied JaMarcus Shephard to Oregon State. The latter was appointed as the head coach before Alabama’s playoff run. At Oregon State, Hodges is getting the title of General Manager.

In college football, one can’t overstate the importance of the position. While programs now assign it the ‘GM’ tag, the director of player personnel handles recruiting, roster management, and liaison activities, among other things. Its importance has only grown in the ever-evolving NIL landscape, where roster churn is faster than it used to be.

Wilson’s appointment is yet to be confirmed, and we have only his social media activity to go by to confirm the link.

After spending some time with the Los Angeles Rams, Wilson spent the last three years with the LSU Tigers, serving as the director of player retention. Among the many projects he undertook, the most popular of them was Jayden Daniel’s Heisman campaign.

Daniels won the Heisman in 2023, beating Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. He completed an outstanding 5,000 receiving yards and 50 touchdowns. The numbers tell an impressive tale, but behind the scenes, a dominant Heisman narrative fueled his chances at the coveted trophy. The face behind that campaign was Sherman Wilson.

When Daniels won the Golden Trophy in New York City, he expressed his gratitude, saying, “I owe a huge part of my growth this past season to Sherman Wilson.”

That was just one part of his job. Another aspect where he can help the Tide is roster management. After Nick Saban stepped down as the head coach of the Crimson Tide, the locker room saw a mass exodus. More than 30 players left, including Julian Sayin and Caleb Downs, who became impact players at Ohio State. The 2026 portal season was no different. Twenty-one players have exited the program, with the WR Corps being the most affected.

Bama dials down on player retention

Building the roster through the transfer portal has led to the success of several programs. Miami and Indiana are good examples of that. However, when you look at the Hoosiers’ roster, a significant chunk is also the one recruited and developed by Curt Cignetti. Many players followed the head coach from James Madison to Indiana two years ago.

The NIL opportunities make it difficult to do that, but that’s where the challenge lies. Alabama is working hard to invest in its culture. They are focusing on recruiting high school talent, developing them, and retaining them, rather than experiencing portal churn every year. Bama’s General Manager has made that clear.

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“Courtney Morgan told us on signing day that at Alabama, they were concerned with retention,” Morgan said via Waaaay Offsides Cotton on January 12.

“This means Alabama, which will still dip in the portal, is primarily focused on high school recruiting and development as opposed to building rosters out of the portal.”

Bama will continue to invest in transfer pieces, but the majority of the resources will go towards keeping the roster intact.