No. 8 Alabama heads into Saturday’s 6 p.m. CT kickoff against South Carolina with a few familiar concerns, a dangerous matchup problem, and some unexpected defensive absences hanging over the SEC home opener at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The Crimson Tide and Gamecocks know each other well by now after meeting in each of the last two seasons, and South Carolina’s roster includes four former Alabama players in Justin Okoronkwo, Shawn Murphy, Kelby Collins and Upton Bellenfant. But the bigger questions this week are closer to the line of scrimmage, where Alabama is trying to clean up the kind of issues that can turn into trouble fast against better competition.
One of the biggest talking points coming out of Monday was Alabama’s slow starts on offense. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb made that clear right away when he opened his press conference with, "Start out with the beginning narrative for the guys," Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said.
"I know there's a lot of talk out there about slow starts and things like that. So I think, obviously, we're taking some really calculated measures in practice to help continue to address that."
That theme came up with head coach Kalen DeBoer, too. Alabama’s first two drives against Kentucky ended in a pick-six and a fumble, while the first two drives against Florida State were both three-and-outs.
The offense eventually found its rhythm in both games, but that kind of sluggish opening is a much bigger problem when the opponent is stronger. South Carolina is coming off a loss to Mississippi State in which a 16-0 first-half lead disappeared, so Alabama still has room to breathe.
Even so, an opening-drive score would go a long way for both the team and the crowd.
On the other side, South Carolina has a player who has already given Alabama headaches. Nyck Harbor, a 6-foot-5, 239-pound target, has produced big plays against the Tide in each of the last two seasons.
Last year he caught just one pass in the loss, but it went for 54 yards and a touchdown on South Carolina’s first play from scrimmage in the second half. In 2024, he had two catches for 40 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that kept the Gamecocks alive.
That’s the kind of threat Alabama has to account for after giving up 10 explosive pass plays of 15 yards or more in its last game. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday that fixing those busts has been a major focus.
"So a lot of things in the passing game that we obviously need to clean up: we gave up nine explosives there," Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday. "None of them were MAs [missed assignments.]
They were all either fundamental execution errors or guys simply not doing what is asked of them within the structure of the defense. So those are things that our guys- I have great confidence in our players.
I have great confidence in our coaches. We are in this together to get those things cleaned up, and I would imagine we will get those things fixed quickly."
Safety Keon Sabb referred to Harbor as a "talented" player, and said, "I feel like they all bring unique challenges, and I feel like we’re ready for them," Sabb said.
Alabama also got a few surprises on Wednesday night when its availability report came out. Outside linebackers Justin Hill and Desmond Umeozulu were both officially listed as "out."
Later, the University’s NIL entity, "Yea Alabama," said Hill will be out for a few weeks, while Umeozulu is dealing with a turf toe injury. According to "Yea Alabama," both injuries happened in the win over Florida State.
That was notable because DeBoer never mentioned either player during his Monday press conference, and Hill had already spoken with reporters after Tuesday’s practice. Both players are listed as linebackers on the official roster, though Hill is listed at Wolf on the depth chart and Umeozulu at Bandit.
With those two unavailable, Yhonzae Pierre remains Alabama’s starting Wolf and primary edge rusher, while sixth-year veteran Jah-Marien Latham moves into the main backup role. Freshman Xavier Griffin has been mentioned by Wommack as a hybrid option at both inside and outside linebacker, but at 228 pounds, he is not built to be an every-down Wolf just yet. Still, he should see a larger role while Hill and Umeozulu are sidelined.
Umeozulu’s absence also means Devan Thompkins will need to spend more time at Bandit and less time on the interior defensive line. The injuries are not catastrophic for Alabama, but they will change the snap load for Thompkins and Pierre as the Tide tries to handle a South Carolina offense with a few proven ways to stress the defense.
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As the Crimson Tide try to keep their attention on South Carolina, Grubbs remarks have become an extra layer of noise around a team already trying to steady itself. The suggestion now is that he may regret saying what he said, but the larger issue is simpler for Alabama: the focus has shifted from the next opponent to how one of the staffs most visible voices handled the pressure of the moment. [Read more 🡒]