The beginning of the 2026 calendar year has not gone well for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
It began with a 38-3 blowout loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. A week later, Alabama saw star wide receiver Isaiah Horton enter the transfer portal, per Hayes Fawcett of On3.
Horton’s departure comes one day after Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson announced his decision to declare the the 2026 NFL Draft, so it’s been a string of unfortunate events in Tuscaloosa.
Horton had 42 receptions for 511 yards and eight touchdowns (a team high) in 2025. Before that, he spent three seasons with the Miami Hurricanes and had 56 catches for 616 yards and five touchdowns in 2024 with Cam Ward throwing him passes.
Horton was third in the Alabama WR room with Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams ahead of him. Horton had a three-touchdown game on November 29 in a 27-20 win over the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl.
The Alabama WR was a four-star prospect from the state of Tennessee, and he revealed last year that one reason why he came to Tuscaloosa was because of Simpson, as the two played 7-on-7 football in high school.
“That’s my guy,” Horton said last year after transferring to Alabama. “We had that little chemistry. That’s my guy. That’s kind of one of the reasons I came here, too, just to get back with him.
Horton’s entering the portal is a surprise for Alabama and the rest of college football, and he should be a big name to watch before the portal closes on Jan. 16.
