Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Mbakwe goes to Georgia Tech

January 5, 2025 – TUSCALOOSA - The transfer portal opened on Friday. One of the first players for Alabama to go in the portal was wide receiver Jaylen Mbakwe. On Monday Mbokwe signed to play for Georgia Tech.

Mbakwe was a five‑star recruit out of Clay‑Chalkville. He was recruited as an athlete who played quarterback and defensive back in high school. One recruiting service ranked him as the number two cornerback and number 12 overall coming out in the 2024 recruiting class.

He spent his first season at Alabama, playing defensive back in 2024, but changed positions to wide receiver in 2025, where he was seventh on the depth chart in a crowded room of receivers.

He only recorded 3 catches for 55 yards last season but also contributed on special teams. He had 15 tackles and an interception in his freshman year with Bama.

Georgia Tech just landed a high-upside, five‑star athlete who never fully broke through at Alabama. This is a big deal for Coach Brent Key's roster. He is an immediate talent upgrade for Georgia Tech whether he plays with the defensive backs or the wide receivers. He is also a very talent return man with elite speed and ability.

Georgia Tech rarely signs or lands transfers with that pedigree. This is a blue‑chip injection into a roster that just went 9–4 and is trying to push into the ACC's top tier.

Brent Key loves multi‑tool athletes, and Mbakwe fits that mold perfectly. He is a likely starter at Georgia Tech and has the potential to be a major contributor for the Yellowjackets.

For Alabama, his leaving gets a very expensive player off their books.

Here's the clearest, most accurate answer based on the search results - and what's publicly known about NIL reporting.

There is no public record of how much Alabama paid Jaylen Mbakwe in NIL money, but if we use his On3 NIL valuation, which is the industry's most widely cited estimate, Mbakwe's estimated NIL value was $470,000. We have heard speculation from some radio outlets that Bama paid even more than that for Mbakwe's services.

His leaving frees Bama to use that money to address a more pressing need somewhere else on the roster.

Alabama finished 11 and 4 in Coach Kalen DeBoer's second season earning a spot in the SEC Championship game and winning a playoff game against Oklahoma. Bama's season ended in the Rose Bowl against 13 and 0 Indiana, the number one team in the country.

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