Kalen DeBoer’s offseason in Tuscaloosa continues to test Alabama’s margin for error. Losses are coming from multiple directions including both the transfer portal and former ties that once defined his rise. This week delivered another reminder that the SEC is not waiting for the Tide to stabilize. The latest blow came on January 10. But the implications stretch well beyond one missed commitment.

“BREAKING: Auburn transfer WR Eric Singleton Jr. has signed with Florida, @PeteNakos reports🐊,” On3 reported on X. 

Eric Singleton Jr., once Auburn’s most celebrated portal addition and briefly linked to Alabama as a high-end target, chose Florida instead. The decision came just one day after he withdrew from the NFL Draft to re-enter the portal. For Kalen DeBoer, it marked another elite offensive piece landing inside the conference but firmly outside Tuscaloosa.  

Florida head coach Jon Sumrall has been decisive in the portal, and Eric Singleton Jr. is his biggest addition yet. He is a proven, high-volume receiver with one year of eligibility remaining. He has a catch in all 36 games of his college career, the sixth-longest active streak in the FBS. The decision isn’t accidental. At Florida, he reunites with familiar faces. Wide receivers coach Marcus Davis coached him previously at Auburn. OC Buster Faulkner called plays for him during his two-season Georgia Tech career. 

Florida needed help at wide receiver, losing Eugene Wilson III, Aidan Mizell, Tank Hawkins, Naeshaun Montgomery, and Muizz Tounkara to the portal. Eric Singleton Jr. immediately stabilizes the room. He is the 28th-ranked player and eighth-ranked wide receiver in the portal and joins Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III atop a depth chart that now looks formidable. Gators QB Aaron Philo, who played with him at Georgia Tech in 2024, gives Florida instant chemistry.

Last year, he entered the portal as the No. 1 ranked WR by both On3 and 247Sports. In 2025 at Auburn, he started all 12 games and led the Tigers with 58 receptions for 534 yards and three TDs in an offense that never found rhythm. He recorded just one 100-yard game, which was against Vanderbilt in a 45-38 loss where he recorded 11 catches for 102 yards.  

Before Auburn, he was a Freshman All-American at Georgia Tech in 2023 with 48 catches for 714 yards and six scores, followed by 56 receptions for 754 yards in 2024. Alabama’s offseason setbacks did not stop with Eric Singleton Jr., and this is where the pressure compounds.

Georgia Tech keeps pulling from Kalen DeBoer 

Former Tide LB Noah Carter announced his transfer to Georgia Tech, an ACC program now pulling directly from Alabama roster. He entered the portal with three years of eligibility remaining and had visited Florida State and Arizona State before deciding on the Yellow Jackets. The 6’4, 243-pound redshirt freshman appeared in roughly a dozen games over two seasons, totaling 10 tackles. Once committed to Kalen DeBoer at Washington, he followed him to Tuscaloosa and is now following his own path. 

Carter joins Jaylen Mbakwe and Joseph Ionata, two more former Tide players who committed to Georgia Tech this offseason. Ionata, a 6’5, 306-pound reserve offensive lineman, played on special teams and carries three years of eligibility. Mbakwe struggled to crack the WR rotation in Tuscaloosa and reset his career in Atlanta. But this does not mean Alabama is standing still. 

Kalen DeBoer added USC DL Devan Thompkins, who posted 55 tackles and nine tackles for loss over two seasons, and North Alabama punter Adam Watford to address special teams. QB Austin Mack also recommitted for the 2026 season.

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But the reality remains. Alabama is losing proven SEC talent to rivals and feeding ACC rebuilds at the same time. After the Pasadena loss on New Year’s Day, the margin for error narrowed. With Carter and Singleton elsewhere, the Tide’s misses are no longer quiet.