Alabama is getting a boost up front at just the right time. Right guard Michael Carroll is expected to be available Saturday against Florida State, according to sources told ESPN on Wednesday, after sitting out last weekend’s win at Kentucky with an undisclosed injury.
Carroll has been back on the practice field in recent days, and his return matters. The freshman All-America pick from last season started and played most of the opener against East Carolina two weeks ago after moving from right tackle to right guard this offseason.
He was the former No. 1-ranked guard in the class of 2025, and Alabama’s offensive line looked better in stretches of the second half last week. Carroll, though, gives that unit a different level of stability.
The matchup with Florida State figures to demand plenty from Alabama on defense, too. Ashton Daniels is not known as a passer, but he can create problems with his legs, and the Seminoles also bring a dangerous back in Ousmane Kromah. Alabama’s issues against Florida State a year ago started on the ground, when the Crimson Tide gave up 230 rushing yards in the loss and 4.7 yards per carry.
Kromah has been central to Florida State’s early success this season. At 216 pounds, he runs like a back who wants contact, not space.
He has topped 100 yards in both Seminoles games and is averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Per Pro Football Focus, 180 of his 231 yards have come after initial contact.
Alabama linebackers Woodson and Metz have been active through two games and combined for 20 tackles against Kentucky, but this will come down to whether the defensive line can hold its ground and let those linebackers close things down. If that happens, Florida State’s offense could be in trouble.
There’s also a broader schematic wrinkle here. One FSU writer pointed out that Alabama has spent a lot of time in nickel this season and suggested Kromah could find room against it.
That fits with what Alabama showed against Auburn, when the Tide played over 97 percent of their snaps in either nickel or dime defense against an offense that used 11-personnel on 92 percent of its plays. Those lighter looks, along with Alabama’s second-highest rate of Cover 2 - over 40 percent - helped make Daniels’ legs a factor, since he carried 23 times and was pushed to work underneath, where Malcolm Simmons could create after the catch.
This year’s Alabama defense has looked more like the group Daniels saw than the one Florida State opened 2025 against. The Tide have been in nickel on more than 90 percent of their snaps, a jump from last season’s 64.7 percent mark that ranked 112th nationally. They’re also playing the nation’s highest rate of Cover 2, while Florida State saw that look on just 12.7 percent of snaps in last year’s meeting.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell said earlier this week that balance will be the key against Alabama. The Seminoles will have to live with the “three-yards and a cloud of dust” moments and take advantage of explosive plays when they come.
On the Alabama side, Kalen DeBoer didn’t give away much on “Hey Coach” last night, but he did ask for a strong crowd on Saturday and said he expects his team to get off to a quicker start. Alabama has scored 17 total points in the first quarter through two games, and DeBoer wants that pace to improve, especially in a rematch with the team that beat the Tide to open 2025.
“As our coaches get more and more information. and our players continue as we have more film each and every week of our opponent, I think they will be even more comfortable and you’ll see even faster starts from our guys playing fast, knowing what to expect from their opponent,” DeBoer said. “I’m looking forward to the next steps we take this week, really challenging our guys to come out, especially in Bryant-Denny Stadium and make some plays right away.
Play confident. Play fast.”
There’s some basketball buzz building, too, and Jon Rothstein thinks Amari Allen is set for a bigger stage under Nate Oats. Rothstein called Allen “primed to step into a much bigger role” and said he thinks Allen “will be Alabama’s all-around best player this season.” He also noted that Allen is “one of two double-figure scorers who will return for Alabama.”
Houston Mallette, though, thinks Aden Holloway is ready to break out in his own way. He pointed to Holloway’s work habits and the way he approaches the game, saying, “You can tell by how he plays, how he works out, how he practices, he loves basketball, bro,” Mallette said. “And I think that joy comes from the work, because when I’ve watched Biz work out and Biz shoot, I mean, I’ve seen him make 227 threes without missing two in a row.”
Mallette also praised Nate Oats for giving Holloway room to grow.
“It’s almost like watching somebody enter this flow state. The game slows down, everything connects, and he’s just completely present.
And I think that’s the beautiful thing about Biz, the joy you see on gameday is backed by the work that not a lot of people see. That’s why watching him is so therapeutic to me,” Mallette said.
Add 6’11” Drew Fielder to the mix, and Alabama has another intriguing piece. He’s described as a highly skilled and polished big man, and the source notes he might be the most impactful portal addition Oats has made in Tuscaloosa.
And just outside Bryant-Denny, there’s a smaller story with a big Alabama footprint. A house sitting near the stadium has seen plenty of notable visitors, including College GameDay personalities and Alabama names like Billy Neighbors, Lee Roy Jordan, Benny Nelson and Andre Smith.
Mark Ezell said, “Marcell Dareus came by recently,” while Trisha Ezell recalled Johnny Manziel’s parents stopping in before the 2012 Texas A&M upset of Alabama and watching the segment on TV there. She also remembered Paul Finebaum using their bathroom before a TV appearance.
“Paul Finebaum took a dump in my house” ain’t exactly a flex.
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For Alabama, the interest is less about the courtroom drama than the ripple effect surrounding a familiar name from the programs recent past. Pruitt is seeking $100 million over the NCAA penalties, including a six-year show-cause order that has limited his employment options, and the justices will rule later. Until then, the case remains one of those unresolved threads that keeps pulling old ties back into the present. [Read more 🡒]