Shortly after 5 p.m. Monday, the freshman defensive back confirmed a report that had been swirling, that the “best step for my personal and professional development and the future I’m working towards” was not in Tuscaloosa, not with the Crimson Tide.

As time ticked by, social media posts were dissected. One, a picture of Ryan Williams and Mbakwe from the star freshman wide receiver with the caption “Bingo! We got action.” Another, the same phrase posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Ole Miss director of on-campus recruiting Santana McKnight.

Rumors were rampant. But not all were connecting Mbakwe to another college football power. Many were putting Mbakwe right back in Tuscaloosa, potentially with new responsibilities for the Crimson Tide.

Kalen DeBoer was never in doubt. Actually, the Alabama football coach called it simple.

“His conversation with me is that he wanted to come back,” DeBoer said. “Really, it’s not that complicated. … The kid loves this place.”

And less than 24 hours after the announcement was made, all evidence of the announcement was scrubbed, replaced by another post: a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio from “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and a simple message.