Leadership was on display early for Alabama football when fall camp opened Wednesday morning in Tuscaloosa, but Kalen DeBoer made it clear that the tone-setters are coming from a few specific spots on the field.
The secondary, in particular, is where he says the edge begins.
“Bray [Hubbard] definitely,” DeBoer said after practice. “Z[abien] B[rown] does it.
He's not as vocal, but man, he's got this presence about him and this way. It’s just a great one-two punch there.
I think those guys on defense have really brought along others. Dijon.
The experience in the secondary is kind of where it starts. That swagger, that’s where it starts.”
That defensive presence has been helped by a front seven that now includes several new faces. Alabama added USC transfer Devan Thompkins, Oregon transfer Terrance Green and Mississppi State transfer Kedrick Bingley-Jones on the defensive line, and DeBoer said that mix of newcomers and returners is already coming together.
“And then with the new guys joining in with the returners in the front seven, you can see more of that building,” DeBoer said. “Guys who have played a lot of snaps fro us in the past and some of the transfers who we expect to also be key performers for us that again, I think, have done a great job of meshing. You know, probably this one of the one of words I’ve used is just meshing with the rest of the group.”
On offense, DeBoer pointed to junior wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams and the quarterbacks as leaders who have been “great,” but he also said that side of the ball is still in a slower climb.
“A lot of it’s through the work, and that’s what we’ve asked,” DeBoer said. “Jackson Lloyd, I think we expect him and Michael Carroll in the room offensive line-wise, and I think Will [Sanders] will get there too as he gets back in the full go.
“I think there’s other guys that have just stuck to taking care of business. You see Kaleb [Edwards] working, Marshall [Pritchett.]
Josh [Ford] has a presence when he’s on the field. Still, kind of like I said, with the defensive line transfers, fitting into his role and does it with his play, maybe more so than with his talk.
Running back is probably the same way. Daniel Hill’s had a great offseason I think.
Some of those guys right there are just going about their business, going about their work. Being leaders doesn’t always have to mean being vocal, but we’re going to ask that out of them.
There’s a progression to it from taking care of their job and then bringing them into it.”
Alabama has 18 practices lined up during August before it shifts into game-week work for the season opener against East Carolina. As in each of DeBoer’s first two seasons, the team will name its captains before the season begins, with those selections coming from a player vote.
In Other News...
Nick Saban Shared A Derrick Henry Story Alabama Fans Will Love
Nick Saban has told plenty of Alabama stories over the years, but his latest recollection of Derrick Henry is the kind Crimson Tide fans will appreciate. Looking back to Henrys early days in Tuscaloosa, Saban said the running back arrived with obvious talent but still had plenty to learn, especially when it came to blocking and pass protection.
Henrys willingness to take coaching and grow into the details helped turn him from a raw freshman into a complete player, and Alabama benefited from every step of that climb. By the time he left campus, Henry had won the Heisman Trophy in 2015 and powered the Crimson Tide to a national championship, the sort of trajectory that makes Sabans reflection land even harder for anyone who watched it unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Offensive Line Overhaul Could Change Everything For The Run Game
Alabama opened fall camp with the offensive line squarely in focus, and that makes sense with first-year line coach Adrian Klemm overseeing a group that looks different from the one the Crimson Tide used a season ago. The projected 2026 starting five is lighter on average, a sign the staff may be betting on more athleticism up front as it reshapes one of the rosters most important units.
For Alabama, the real question is how that new look will translate when the run game starts taking shape against live competition. A more mobile front could create different angles and more movement at the point of attack, but until the Tide starts stacking practices and seeing how the pieces fit, the payoff remains a possibility rather than a certainty. [Read more 🡒]
Kalen DeBoer Is Watching One Thing In Alabamas QB Battle
Alabama opened 2026 fall camp with the quarterback battle already taking center stage, and Kalen DeBoer made it clear the competition is still very much alive. Austin Mack and Keelon Russell are the two names in the mix, and both have shown enough consistency to keep the race tight as the Crimson Tide work through the early part of camp.
DeBoer said the focus now is less on flashes and more on how the quarterbacks lead and respond once the practices start stacking up. No starter has been named yet, which leaves the job open and the pressure squarely on how each player handles the next stretch of work before Alabama settles on its direction. [Read more 🡒]