No coach at an SEC school with national championship aspirations gets a long leash. At Alabama, Kalen DeBoer’s leash may be the shortest of any coach in the country. On Saturday, he landed a player who he hopes will help him remain in Tuscaloosa long-term.
According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, former Ole Miss offensive lineman Ethan Fields has transferred to Alabama. The rising redshirt junior lineman played in all 15 games for the Rebels in 2025 after making only 4 appearances as a freshman in 2024.
Fields, a native of Geismar, LA, was the No. 84 interior offensive lineman in 247Sports’ Composite rankings of the 2023 recruiting class. He initially committed to Purdue back in 2022 before shifting to Ole Miss.
With Fields in the fold, Alabama now has 13 transfer additions in this cycle. Their 2026 portal class ranks 28th in the country — and 13th in the SEC — according to 247Sports. Unsurprisingly, LSU and Ole Miss rank No. 1 and No. 2 in that category.
When you recruit high school players as well as Alabama traditionally does, you don’t have to be as reliant on the transfer portal as other schools. However, if you’re unable to find players to fill the weak spots on your roster in the portal, you can fall behind quickly if your internal development isn’t on point. Alabama opens the 2026 campaign versus East Carolina on Sept. 5.
