2026 roster · Roster geography
The South Alabama roster story
In 2016, 42 of 122 roster spots were filled by Alabama players with no earlier college team detected. On the 2026 roster, 34 of 117 fit the same definition. Detected transfers went from 3 to 24.
In 2016 the median player grew up 274 mi from campus. Now it is 211 mi.
Of the 24 players who came from another college, 11 are from Alabama. Those home-state players make up 46% of detected-transfer stock on this roster.
The record reaches back to 2008, when 45% of the roster came from Alabama. Today it is 39%.
Then → now
2016–18 compared with 2021–25
- Local-developed core
- Transfer stock
| Measure | 2016–18 | 2021–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local-developed core | 39.1% | 39.0% | |
| Transfer stock | 2.8% | 20.8% |
The roster, at a glance
- 279 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 113 located players.
- 38.8%In-state38.8% of the roster is from Alabama.
- 20.4%Backyard20.4% grew up within 100 miles of campus.
- 20.5%Detected transfers20.5% of the roster arrived after playing at another school.
Across the FBS
Where South Alabama ranks
Homecoming Radius over time
The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.
Roster composition over time
Where the in-state lens draws the line: local-developed, local transfer, outsider developed, outsider transfer, and unknown. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.
Where do South Alabama's players come from?
| Season | Roster | In-state | Transfer signal | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 117 | 38.8% | 20.5% | 211 mi |
| 2025 | 117 | 43.1% | 25.6% | 181 mi |
| 2024 | 122 | 49.2% | 23.8% | 177 mi |
| 2023 | 119 | 47.9% | 24.4% | 176 mi |
| 2022 | 115 | 49.6% | 20.9% | 168 mi |
| 2021 | 120 | 44.2% | 9.2% | 207 mi |
| 2020 | 117 | 43.6% | 3.4% | 195 mi |
| 2019 | 123 | 42.3% | 1.6% | 194 mi |
| 2018 | 113 | 46.9% | 3.5% | 211 mi |
| 2017 | 119 | 39.5% | 2.5% | 233 mi |
| 2016 | 122 | 36.4% | 2.5% | 274 mi |
| 2015 | 117 | 44.8% | 4.3% | 214 mi |
| 2014 | 119 | 48.3% | 2.5% | 207 mi |
| 2013 | 115 | 45.1% | 1.7% | 222 mi |
| 2012 | 113 | 44.1% | 1.8% | 205 mi |
| 2011archive | 112 | 47.7% | — | 202 mi |
| 2010archive | 118 | 46.6% | — | 161 mi |
| 2009archive | 114 | 49.1% | — | 153 mi |
| 2008archive | 79 | 44.9% | — | 131 mi |
archive = official athletic-site roster. “Proxy” is the share listing a previous school where that field behaved like a transfer field; it is not the same measure as detected transfer stock.
Where the roster grew up
Every 2026 player's hometown, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.
Homecoming Radius: 211 mi
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