Kalen DeBoer is set to lean on youth in a big way when Alabama takes the field in 2026, and that reality could define the Crimson Tide’s season. The roster is expected to be loaded with freshmen and sophomores, especially on offense, making it likely Alabama’s youngest team since the 2008 group in Nick Saban’s second year, when the two-deep was packed with freshmen.
That kind of inexperience cuts both ways. Alabama has talent, but the bigger question is how fast that talent can settle in and start producing. Two freshmen who already look positioned to matter right away are running back EJ Crowell and wide receiver Cederian Morgan, both of whom were among the top high school players in Alabama in the 2026 cycle.
CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford included both players on his list of SEC freshmen who could be in line for breakout seasons.
Crowell enters as the most anticipated newcomer in the class. He missed a lot of spring work because of an injury, but he is expected to be full go in fall camp. That gives him a real chance to push for a meaningful role in a backfield Alabama is trying to reshape after one of the nation’s worst rushing offenses a year ago.
Crowell arrives with a huge reputation. He is one of the most decorated high school running backs in Alabama history and was among the most coveted prospects in the country during the 2026 recruiting cycle. The expectation is that he’ll be in the rotation immediately, with the possibility of becoming the Crimson Tide’s featured back by midseason or even sooner.
Morgan brings a different kind of buzz. He was the top wide receiver in Alabama in the 2026 class and turned down offers from everywhere to stay home. That choice could put him in line for a major role in year one.
There’s also an opening. NC State transfer Noah Rogers suffered a spring practice injury that is expected to keep him out at the start of the season, creating a clear chance for Morgan to step forward early. He’ll be competing with redshirt sophomore Rico Scott and sophomore Derek Meadows for the starting spot alongside Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks.
Even if Morgan doesn’t win that job outright, he is still expected to see plenty of snaps as a freshman. His size and ball skills fit neatly with Coleman-Williams and Brooks, giving Alabama another young weapon to work with.
For Alabama, the offensive ceiling will depend on young players growing up fast. Crowell and Morgan look like the safest bets to do exactly that, and Tide fans won’t have to wait long to see whether the hype translates once the season begins.
In Other News...
Alabama Still Has A Few Unbeaten Blots Fans Want Erased
Alabamas non-conference history still has a few odd little blemishes, the kind that stand out more because of how often the Crimson Tide have spent decades stacking wins against almost everybody else. Among the teams that have slipped through untouched are a handful of Power Four programs and a couple of Group of Six opponents, which makes the list feel less like a random quirk and more like a reminder that even a powerhouse can carry some stubborn gaps in its record.
The scheduling side is part of what makes those gaps so hard to close now. Alabama already has Minnesota on the calendar in 2032 and 2033, with the first meeting in Minneapolis and the second in Tuscaloosa, but getting enough non-conference games against the right kind of opponent has only gotten trickier as conference expansion keeps reshaping the sport. Some of the teams on that unbeaten list have already reached the College Football Playoff, and others could get there in the years ahead, which only adds a little more intrigue to the next chance Alabama gets to chip away at the ledger. [Read more 🡒]
CBS Ranking Reminds College Football Who Alabama Has Always Been
A fresh look at college footballs century-long hierarchy offered another reminder of how deeply Alabama has shaped the sport. CBS Sports contributor Chip Patterson slotted the Crimson Tide as the decades best team in the 1930s, the 1960s and the 2010s, while also giving the program honorable mention status in the 1920s and 1970s. The case was built the way Alabama cases usually are, by tracing national championships and era-defining runs under Wallace Wade, Bear Bryant, Gene Stallings and Nick Saban.
What makes the exercise sting a little for everyone else is how little room it leaves for debate about the Tides staying power. Sabans 2010s teams alone were a model of dominance, and the piece notes that Alabamas standard has been so consistent that it still belongs in the conversation whenever the sport starts sorting out its all-time greats. Georgia may be the current favorite in the race for the 2020s, but the larger point is harder to miss: Alabama has spent generations setting the bar, not chasing it. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama May Be Losing A Lifelong Tide Fan To This Cycle Again
Alabamas push for Monshun Sales has been one of the more intriguing recruiting threads in the 2027 cycle, especially because the five-star wide receiver grew up as a Crimson Tide fan. The staff has made a serious run at him, and by all accounts the visit went well enough to keep Alabama in the conversation as the process moves toward a decision that is expected soon.
The problem is that this is the modern recruiting game, and sentiment only goes so far when NIL enters the picture. Sales has drawn plenty of attention, and Alabama is still trying to close the gap with what he is seeing elsewhere, leaving Tide fans to wonder whether a lifelong pull toward Tuscaloosa will be enough to overcome everything else in play. [Read more 🡒]