A Big Ten running backs coach didn’t hold back when sizing up Alabama before the season, and his criticism landed on the Crimson Tide’s physical identity.
“Alabama. It looks like they’re morphing into a Pac-12 team (sic).
I like (Kalen) DeBoer a lot, but I think there’s a softness to how they play. The way they got beat by Indiana last year was like, ‘Whoa!”
That kind of language cuts against everything Alabama has built its reputation on. Soft is not a word that usually sticks to this program, but after last season, it’s a label some around the country are willing to use.
The Crimson Tide went 2025 without finishing the job, even after making the College Football Playoff and picking up a road win over the Oklahoma Sooners. They were still left with a year that fell short of the standard Alabama sets for itself.
Now the pressure shifts to 2026. Kalen DeBoer enters the season with plenty to answer for, and there’s a real sense that Alabama needs a major step forward if he’s going to quiet the noise around his job status.
The skepticism isn’t limited to one coach, either. Around the country, there’s a feeling that this version of Alabama doesn’t yet look like the old machine.
The Indiana loss is a big reason why. After that 38-3 defeat in the College Football Playoff, people started viewing the program differently, and not in a flattering way.
Still, the path ahead is manageable enough for Alabama to put together a strong season. The toughest road trips on the schedule are LSU and Tennessee, while Georgia, Texas A&M and Auburn all come to Tuscaloosa, with Auburn closing the regular season.
That setup gives the Tide a real chance to get back where they need to be. At minimum, Alabama has to return to the playoff. Anything less, and the questions around DeBoer will only get louder.
In Other News...
Ryan Coleman-Williams Enters A Defining Alabama Season With One New Focus
Ryan Coleman-Williams heads into his junior season at Alabama with a different voice guiding the wide receivers, and that matters for a player trying to keep building on a productive year. Derrick Nix takes over the group this fall, giving Coleman-Williams a fresh set of eyes as he prepares for an important stretch in Tuscaloosa after putting up 689 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 49 catches last season.
For Coleman-Williams, the timing adds weight to every rep. He is eligible to enter the NFL Draft after this season, and he has already talked with Nix about the coaching changes and the areas he wants to sharpen. With a new receiver coach in place and a pro decision looming, Alabama will be watching closely to see how he handles a season that could define the next step in his career. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Gained A Roster Opening Alabama Fans Need To Watch
A federal ruling has opened the door for a wave of roster movement across the SEC, and LSU appears positioned to be one of the first programs to test it. Judge William Jorden granted an injunction making more than 40 athletes eligible for NCAA and SEC competition, a group that includes former NFL players Zxavian Harris and DaeQuan Wright, creating an immediate wrinkle for teams in the league that have spent the offseason building with the old rules in mind.
For Alabama, the significance goes beyond LSU simply gaining more bodies. Any added depth in Baton Rouge changes the competitive picture, and it comes at a time when the SEC is already preparing to push back hard. The league plans to appeal the ruling and has filed a separate lawsuit aimed at enforcing new punishments against teams that add former professional players, leaving the issue far from settled as roster decisions begin to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Birmingham Just Gave Auburn Fans Another Reason To Boast
Birminghams college football appetite got another national spotlight this week when Nielsen released its Scarborough Local College Football Fandom Index, a ranking built on eight measures of fan engagement. The market came out on top, and it did so by standing out where it matters most for a football town: interest and event attendance, while also showing up near the top in other areas tied to how fans follow the sport.
For Alabama supporters, the result is hardly surprising in a state where Saturdays still shape the calendar, but it does hand Auburn fans a fresh talking point. The broader list also underscored how deeply college football runs through SEC territory, with markets such as Knoxville and several other league-related areas landing among the national leaders alongside places like Des Moines/Ames, Columbus, and Omaha. [Read more 🡒]