Caleb Downs has made his decision on whether he will play for Alabama football and Kalen DeBoer next season.

The nation's freshman of the year in 2023 entered the transfer portal on Thursday.

Downs was an immediate starter for the Crimson Tide in 2023 at safety, immediately becoming one of the best players on the defense. He led Alabama in tackles with 107, becoming the first freshman in program history dating back to 1970. He also received second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and the Sporting News.

Another major accolade: The SEC coaches selected him as the conference's freshman of the year. Downs finished fourth in the SEC in total tackles.

Alabama's roster is in flux as a result of Nick Saban deciding to retire this past Wednesday. The Crimson Tide moved fast to hire DeBoer on Friday. Some players have hit the transfer portal while others have affirmed they will stay for the new era of Alabama football.

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Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Caleb Downs: What Alabama football safety decided