Alabama lands special teams transfer from ACC program

Alabama’s latest commitment from the transfer portal comes from former Cal long snapper David Bird. He announced his decision to transfer to Alabama on X on Monday afternoon.

Bird’s addition is a big one as Alabama will lose its starting long snapper following the conclusion of the 2024 season. Senior Kneeland Hibbett will exhaust his eligibility. 

Bird will have two years of eligibility remaining. According to Cal’s official website, Bird “played in all of Cal’s games without being errant.” That is certainly a positive takeaway as Alabama looks to replace Hibbett. 

Alabama has landed three special teamers for the ’25 recruiting class between the high school and college ranks. Three-star punter Alex Asparuhov signed with the Crimson Tide. In addition, Alabama also landed a commitment from Colorado School of Mines punter Blake Doud. The most recent one being Bird. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how special teams coordinator Jay Nunez decides to use each of them. The current expectation is that Bird will likely be the team’s starting long snapper, however.