During the January transfer portal, Kalen DeBoer seemed to have fixed a position that plagued his offense throughout the 2025 season. Even in their wins over ranked opponents, Alabama’s run game never got going. Some of it was down to injuries. The Tide landed former NC State RB Hollywood Smothers on January 5, but even before they could celebrate the move, he flipped to Texas.

The commitment flip happened on January 11. At the time, a bigger check was seen as the reason. Smothers, while addressing the reason behind his flip, highlighted that the NFL and a chance at a national title were the key factors, indirectly pointing out that he doesn’t believe the Crimson Tide has what it takes to make a title run.

“At this point in my career, I wanted to put myself in the best position to make it to the NFL and to go win a championship,” Smothers told On3. “Texas is returning the potential No. 1 overall pick at QB [Arch Manning], and Alabama was losing their starter [Ty Simpson] to the draft and a lot of pieces to the NFL or portal in the wide receiver room. Texas just seemed like they had players in place to go on a run and an offensive-minded coach who knows how to scheme his weapons open in the run and pass game. What separated things for me was Texas’ emphasis on going to win it all.”

That emphasis was seen in how Steve Sarkisian recruited from the portal, giving Manning enough offensive weapons to avoid a repeat of the 2025 season. On the other hand, Alabama hasn’t been in the same boat. That doesn’t mean they can’t surprise everyone with a better performance next season.

Smothers also stated that NIL did not significantly influence his decision; rather, the focus on winning was the primary reason for his move.

“NIL didn’t play a big factor for me, no matter how much the internet factors it,” Smothers said. “I honestly just want to win. And I feel like we are in the best position to go win it all with the talent and depth at Texas.”

It’s pretty clear that the ball carrier made the decision thinking about his future, and it wasn’t money motivated. Either way, it was a tough blow for Bama, as they lost a talented RB, who would have been a key in the Crimson Tide offense.

Smothers started his college career at Oklahoma, but he came to prominence after transferring to NC State. During the 2024 season, he accumulated 571 yards on 89 carries and six touchdowns. That improved to 939 rushing yards on 160 carries and six touchdowns in the 2025 season. 

In comparison, Alabama’s Jam Miller led the RB room at Tuscaloosa with 504 yards and three touchdowns. Even with the caveat that his season was marred by injuries, the production from backups tells a story of an inconsistent run offense. The Tide averaged 3.35 yards per carry, which ranked them 123rd out of 134 FBS teams.

Kalen DeBoer didn’t add another RB from the portal after Smothers’ flip. That leaves Alabama with Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley, and AK Dear. True freshman EJ Crowell may also see some action as Richard Young transferred to Colorado and Jam Miller exhausted his eligibility.

Steve Sarkisian’s role in flipping Hollywood Smothers

Hollywood Smothers stated that Sarkisian pitched him the plan to use him and a fellow transfer back, Raleek Brown. It stood out when he visited Austin, and it ultimately led him to decide to flip from Alabama to the Longhorns.

“There are plenty of ways coach Sark can get me involved with the football,” Smothers said. “You see, the past three to four years, what he has done with his running backs. Five of them were drafted. How he uses them out in space, along with all of the talent at receiver. It’s going to be hard for teams to stack the box, especially when you have Arch Manning.”

It seems like the pairing with Brown felt attractive to Smothers, who rushed for 1,141 this past season, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. With the belief that Texas could emerge as the top offense in the country, that would help him boost his NFL stock and lead to the national championship.