Alabama football adds Power 4 talent at position of need via transfer portal
Alabama football added depth at what had been one of its thinnest positions during spring football on Wednesday. Tight end Jack Sammarco, previously of West Virginia, committed to the Crimson Tide out of the transfer portal.
Sammarco shared the news on social media Wednesday. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama began spring ball already thin at tight end with Danny Lewis Jr. out. When Josh Cuevas and Marshall Pritchett went down with injuries, the Crimson Tide was down to just redshirt freshman Jay Lindsey in terms of scholarship players at the position.
Sammarco, who joined the Mountaineers as a three-star prospect before the 2024 season, played in all 13 games for WVU last season. He made one catch for four yards.
The upcoming sophomore entered the portal after spring football ended for West Virginia. He was recruited by the former staff, led by head coach Neal Brown, who was fired before WVU hired Rich Rodriguez from Jacksonville State.
“After a lot of thought, prayer and conversations with my family, I’ve decided to enter my name into the NCAA transfer portal,” Sammarco said in a statement announcing his departure from Morgantown. “WVU will always have a special place in my heart, and I appreciate everything this program and facebase have done for me.”
The Crimson Tide lost much of its tight end production from last season to the NFL Draft, with CJ Dippre and Robbie Ouzts both eligible to be picked starting Thursday. Sammarco, at 6-foot-5, 238 pounds, could help replace them in the run-blocking game, where both Dippre and Ouzts most excelled.
Sammarco is Alabama’s first transfer portal pickup of the spring window. Ahead of the portal opening, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer noted that the Tide would need to be choosy, given its lack of open scholarships.
“We’ll be careful, and they’ve gotta meet all those areas that we feel good about – the culture of our team, the chemistry from within, the work that’s being put in,” DeBoer said after spring practice ended.
The spring transfer portal window is open through Friday.
