Paul Finebaum isn’t ready to stamp Alabama as a safe bet heading into 2026, and the reasons start with what the Crimson Tide put on tape last season.
Alabama went 11-4, reached the SEC Championship Game and made the College Football Playoff. On paper, that looks like a strong year.
In Tuscaloosa, though, the standard is different. The Tide were routed 28-7 by Georgia in the SEC title game, then took a 38-3 beating from Indiana in the CFP quarterfinals after opening the playoff with a 34-24 win over Oklahoma.
That’s the part that matters most: Alabama is not measured by participation. The expectation is championships, or at the very least a team that can stand toe-to-toe with elite competition once it gets there. Last season didn’t meet that bar.
Now Kalen DeBoer heads into his third year with the pressure rising. He needs to show Alabama’s brass and fan base that the program is moving in the right direction and that the hire was the correct one.
The biggest on-field issue is easy to spot. Alabama’s rushing attack ranked No. 125 last season, the worst among College Football Playoff teams.
That problem became even more concerning when sophomore running back AK Dear was ruled out for six weeks with an ankle injury. Dear, ranked as the No. 2 running back in the 2025 recruiting class, was expected to have a role this season.
Those concerns are exactly why Finebaum is keeping his optimism in check.
"I feel moderately upbeat, but I can't go all in, and it's probably the lowest prediction I would have made for Alabama in a long time," Finebaum said. "I feel like they are capable of nine wins, which could get them in the playoffs.
I see the path to do better, but I'll tell you, I don't like the early signs out of camp. There have already been a couple of injuries that make me uncomfortable for a team that has deficiencies."
Finebaum’s view leaves room for Alabama to make noise. He sees a path to nine wins and maybe another playoff trip. But he’s not sold on the early look, especially with injuries already stacking up for a team that has obvious weaknesses.
That’s the real assignment for DeBoer in 2026. It’s not just about getting back to the playoff.
It’s about making Alabama look like Alabama again when the lights are brightest. Another strong record won’t silence the noise if the Tide stumble against the nation’s best.
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Taulia Tagovailoa added a surprising new chapter to his football journey over the weekend, leading American Samoa to a 38-32 win over Team USA at the Flag Football World Championships. The result stood out beyond the score line, since it handed Team USA its first competitive loss since 2012 and put a former Alabama quarterback back in the spotlight in a setting few would have predicted a few years ago.
Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Tua Tagovailoa, has spent the last several years building a winding football resume that included stops at Alabama and Maryland, where he set records, along with time in professional leagues after going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. Even so, this latest moment may be the most eye-catching one yet, giving him a fresh kind of national attention while leaving the next step in his career just as open as before. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Veterans Are Suddenly Fighting To Hold Off Fall Camp Surges
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What makes this camp different is how quickly those pushes have become impossible to ignore. The staff is sorting through a group of players who have flashed in practice and carried that momentum into scrimmage work, creating a live battle at several spots rather than a routine summer tune-up. For Alabama, the question is no longer just which veterans can keep their jobs, but which of the newcomers keep forcing their way into the conversation before camp closes. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Running Back Battle Suddenly Feels Bigger Than Fans Expected
Courtney Morgans job has turned into one of the more important behind-the-scenes assignments in Alabama football, and the running back room is a good example of why. As the programs general manager, Morgan handles recruiting coordination, transfer portal oversight and roster management, and he had to pivot late in the process after Javari Barnett backed off his commitment. From there, Alabama identified Trae'shawn Brown as a name worth circling, and Brown did enough during the A-Day spring game in April to suggest he could fit into the conversation sooner rather than later.
The timing may matter even more now because the competition at running back has taken on a different look heading toward the season. Alabama is dealing with injuries and missed practice time in the room, including AK Dear being out and EJ Crowell spending significant time away from practice, which opens the door for Brown to make a quicker push than many expected. What started as a late recruiting adjustment is starting to feel like a real roster development to watch once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]