I've got Alabama with 89 players on scholarship at the moment (minus transfer departures and with transfer additions) .
Texas is sitting at 88.
There are no signs that any former scholarship players have been stashed away in some unseemly fashion.
Both have 8 weeks to get to 85.
I'm going to use this as a deeper content piece doing a side by side comparison of the two programs.
But, this is the data. I will double and triple check it in an effort to make sure the numbers are consistent, but there's zero proof that what you suggested through sources is taking place... yet.
Took less than an hour.
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The scholarship board has 4 of 5 incoming transfers listed, but does not have UAB transfer Jaylen Key listed.
It has three players listed on the scholarship board that are no longer in the program: OL George, OL Bowels and LB Kennedy.