After a rollercoaster season that ended with more questions than answers, Kalen DeBoer and Alabama are wasting no time reshaping their football program. One of the most notable moves so far? A change up front - the Crimson Tide have parted ways with offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic after just two seasons and are bringing in Adrian Klemm to take over the position.
Klemm’s name carries weight, and not just because of his Super Bowl ring. He’s got a deep coaching résumé that includes time at UCLA and Oregon, plus NFL stops with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. Most recently, he spent the 2025 season as a senior defensive analyst at USC - a bit of a curveball on the résumé, but it shows his versatility and football IQ.
DeBoer, speaking from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, didn’t mince words when asked about the coaching change. “It’s about production,” he said. “We know we gotta be better there.”
Simple, direct, and telling.
And he’s not wrong. Alabama’s offensive line - once a perennial powerhouse - didn’t live up to the program’s high standards in 2025.
The Tide’s ground game, historically one of the most feared in college football, fell flat. They averaged just 104.2 rushing yards per game on 3.4 yards per carry - numbers that simply don’t cut it in Tuscaloosa.
Yes, injuries in the backfield played a role, but the struggles up front were hard to ignore. The offensive line also surrendered 32 sacks over the course of the season, a stat that undercut an otherwise efficient offense and put unnecessary pressure on the quarterback.
This wasn’t just about stats, though. It was about identity.
Alabama football is built on physicality, especially in the trenches. When that foundation isn’t solid, everything else starts to wobble - and that’s exactly what we saw at times during the 2025 campaign.
Enter Klemm. His playing background gives him instant credibility in the locker room, and his coaching stops suggest a guy who knows how to develop talent and bring an edge to the line of scrimmage.
Alabama isn’t just looking for improvement - they’re looking for a return to dominance. And with Klemm now in charge of the offensive line, that journey begins in the trenches.
It’s a move that signals DeBoer’s urgency. He’s not here to ride the coattails of Alabama’s legacy - he’s here to build his own. And that starts with making sure the offensive line isn’t just serviceable, but a force to be reckoned with once again.