Mind of Mike: Hey, Tide Fans. Suck it Up and Quit Whining

Some are fanboys, some are ex-players and coaches, and some work for a business run by Alabama fans, but no matter where you come from, you’re bitter. Well, suck it up, buttercup.

I grew to love Nick Saban. What he did at Alabama was amazing and unprecedented, and Alabama fans have had it good. In fact, they’ve been spoiled. No other fan base gets to complain about not winning a natty every year or that they only have six 5 stars, and it should be eight. It’s been an amazing run and has made them oblivious to the real world. And now they are facing adversity for the first time in ages. Waaaah. Deal with it.

Alabama has had more than 20 players hit the transfer portal since Nick Saban retired, and 'Bama fans don’t know what to do with themselves. Suddenly, the 30-day window for players to transfer after a coach leaves or is fired is outrageous. The lack of loyalty from Bama players astonishes them, and all leaving are looking for a NIL bag of money. Isaiah Bond , Kadyn Proctor, Caleb Downs and others are all traitors and don’t have what it takes to be true Bama players. On and on it goes.

Well, guess what? Dozens of football programs have dealt with the 30-day portal window and have seen a mass exodus of players. And they didn’t like it either. But they didn’t have six national titles and a juggernaut of a program to look back on for nearly two decades to help comfort their feelings. Alabama fans do.

But, but, but - the timing of it all is terrible. I get it, and you’re right. But it’s only terrible because Alabama was shoved into the playoff over Florida State because of prestige and TV money, so you missed the portal recruitment window. And now your players are leaving and can’t be replaced because the window is closed. Had Alabama not been forced into the playoff, perhaps Saban would have stepped down in early December, and Bama would have had a fighting chance at roster management. But you can’t have it both ways. You can’t get your questionable playoff berth AND be active in the window. Were you crying when Florida State players were declaring for the NFL Draft, opting out, and hitting the portal in December? Nope. You didn’t care.

The program that stole Jahmyr Gibbs and Tyler Steen from poverty programs is now upset that teams are taking their players? That’s life, deal with it.

People will think I hate Alabama because of this article. It’s not true. What I can’t stand is rich people complaining about private plane flight delays or pretty people complaining about waiting in line at the club. Deal with it, life comes at you fast, and everyone deals with crap.

Alabama will regress under Kalen DeBoer. There’s no other option. He won’t consistently win the SEC and national titles, and he won’t have No. 1 or No. 2 recruiting classes every year. And if this initial reaction to a transfer portal rule that has been in place for years is any indication, then Alabama fans are in for a rough time.