Alabama WR Isaiah Bond Enters Transfer Portal After Nick Saban's Retirement

After leading the Alabama Crimson Tide in receptions in 2023, wide receiver Isaiah Bond is preparing to potentially transfer.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel and the A&P Sports Agency, Bond filed the paperwork needed to enter the transfer portal Friday.

The decision comes after longtime Alabama head football coach Nick Saban announced his retirement Thursday, ending his 17-year run with the program.

While Bond finished with just 17 receptions for 220 yards and one touchdown as a freshman in 2022, he took a huge step forward this past season, recording 48 grabs for 668 yards and four scores.

In addition to being the leading receiver for quarterback Jalen Milroe and the Alabama offense in terms of catches, Bond was second in yards and touchdown receptions behind only Jermaine Burton.

With Burton entering the 2024 NFL draft on the heels of his senior season and Bond potentially transferring elsewhere, Bama will have a ton of production to replace in the passing game.

The 19-year-old Bond was rated as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports in his recruiting class, as well as the No. 43 overall player and No. 2 athlete.

Based on the improvement Bond showed from 2022 to 2023, he may be poised to approach 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns as a junior depending on where he lands.

While the Crimson Tide beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and reached the College Football Playoff, their aerial attack was not as dangerous as it was in previous years.

Milroe, who has already announced that he is returning to Alabama in 2024 as the presumed starting quarterback, showed plenty of growth over the course of 2023, but he still had only 2,834 passing yards.

Many other schools are passing at a much higher volume, and if Bond goes to one of them, there may be a greater opportunity for him to put up huge numbers and position himself for the 2025 or 2026 NFL draft.

Notable players often transfer when a college coach retires, is fired or decides to go elsewhere, so Bond may prove to be the first of many.

Of course, Alabama's choice of who will succeed Saban could play a significant role in either retaining or losing talent.

Kennington Smith III and Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported this week that Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees are the top three candidates to replace Saban.

However, Florida State announced Friday that Norvell has agreed to an enhanced contract, which takes him out of the mix for the Bama job.

That potentially brings the field down to DeBoer or Rees, and it is fair to wonder if the continuity of keeping Rees and promoting him to head coach would result in Alabama being able to keep most of its current players.