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Former Alabama defensive back Nigel Knott has announces plans to enter transfer portal.
I am blessed to have played football for the University of Alabama. I have decided to enter the transfer portal. #
— Nigel J. Knott (@nigelk09) January 27, 2020
From the beginning of his Alabama career, Knott suffered from injuries. As a 2016 4-star recruit from Madison, MS, there was hope that the athletic defender could be an option at cornerback.
Knott redshirted his first year and played in only two games his second year. He had been spotted on crutches in the Alabama football facility with a brace on his knee and leg during the 2017 season. He started to see more time in 2018 on special teams and was well enough to participate in ten games. He then had a setback that derailed his future in Tuscaloosa.
A few days before the beginning of the 2019 season, Nick Saban told the press of Knott’s status:
“Nigel Knott has been redshirted medically, for some of the medical issues that he had. He’s in school here, we want to support him and help him get an education. He was a very good teammate for a lot of our players. He worked hard, did a good job in this program, but the medical staff felt like it was not in his best interest to continue to play football.”
While he tweeted late in December that he was “cleared to continue playing football”, it will not be as a member of the Crimson Tide.
Knott is the third Tide player to enter the transfer portal since the end of the season. RB Jerome Ford (Cincinnati) and OL Scott Lashley (Mississippi State) have already found new destinations. With numbers getting tight, there is a good chance more announcements will be forthcoming.