The calendar is turning, and Alabama is almost at the point where the guessing stops and the real answers start. Fall camp is about a month away, the season opener against East Carolina is set for September 5th, and Kalen DeBoer is heading into a third year that already feels loaded with pressure and perception.
Even after his contract extension, DeBoer is still trying to shape how people view this program. Outside the building, plenty of folks still see Alabama as something less than the Nick Saban era version.
Inside the fanbase, the split is obvious: some are all-in on DeBoer, while others checked out the moment Alabama lost to Vanderbilt on the road in 2024. For that second group, nothing short of a national title is going to change the conversation.
The first real step toward a strong 2026 season will come in fall camp, where Alabama has a handful of major jobs to settle. Some of these battles are about depth.
Others could shape the entire season. Here are the five that matter most.
Quarterback is the headliner, and it’s not close. Redshirt junior Austin Mack and redshirt freshman Keelon Russell will go into camp fighting for the job, and the competition is expected to be one of the most talked-about in the country.
Russell came out of spring practice as the perceived favorite after an impressive A-Day scrimmage, but this is still very much open. Mack is going to push hard, and his experience in his fourth season under DeBoer gives him a real case.
Russell may bring the higher ceiling, especially with his legs, which could give Alabama’s ground game a needed spark. Still, this battle could stretch deep into the season.
The right side of the offensive line is another big one. The left side looks more settled, with LT Jackson Lloyd and C Racin Delgatty penciled in as starters, and Will Sanders expected to slide in at LG after missing spring with an injury.
But the other side is wide open. The spring suggested sophomore Michael Carroll might not be locked into right tackle after all, since he spent plenty of time at guard while Alabama tried to find its best five.
Mississippi State transfer Jayvin James, who has started 21 games between Starkville and Toledo, looks like the favorite at RT. Even so, Ethan Fields from Ole Miss and Nick Brooks from Texas will get their chances in camp.
Carroll is expected to start somewhere, but whether that’s guard or tackle is still unresolved.
Linebacker is another spot where the picture is still coming into focus. Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson is projected to start at one of the positions after standing out in spring practice, and his experience should matter for a young group.
The question is who lines up next to him. QB Reese, Luke Metz, Cayden Jones, and true freshman Xavier Griffin all have a shot to make a move once camp opens.
Reese has the edge in experience, but the others are very much in the mix.
Defensive tackle also deserves a close watch after Alabama spent the offseason beefing up the line. DeBoer and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack added three portal veterans in USC’s Devan Thompkins, Oregon’s Terrance Green, and Mississippi State’s Kedrick Bingley-Jones, and all three should play plenty.
Thompkins is the favorite to replace LT Overton at Bandit. Inside, Green appears to be the leading candidate at nose, while rising sophomore London Simmons is the likely starter at DT.
But there’s no shortage of competition there, with Jeremiah Beaman, Bingley-Jones, Edric Hill, and Steve Bolo Mboumoua all capable of claiming a starting job. Whoever wins those spots, Alabama will need the whole group for depth.
Wide receiver No. 3 rounds out the list, and while it may not carry the same weight as quarterback or the offensive line, it’s still a real battle. Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks are the clear top two, and they project as one of the SEC’s best duos.
Coleman-Williams is a rising junior who looks poised for a bounce-back season, and Brooks, a rising sophomore, broke out in the College Football Playoff against Oklahoma after a strong freshman year. The third spot, though, is open after NC State transfer Noah Rogers suffered an injury during the A-Day scrimmage that will keep him out for the first part of the season.
That leaves Rico Scott, Derek Meadows, and true freshman Cederian Morgan fighting for the job. Morgan has the highest ceiling, Scott has the most experience, and Meadows was trending toward serious playing time before a concussion slowed him down.
Those are the battles that will shape the start of camp, and maybe more. Alabama has talent in a lot of places, but the answers still have to be earned.
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