The quarterback race may be grabbing the most attention in Tuscaloosa, but Alabama’s first fall camp scrimmage is about more than who lines up under center. The Crimson Tide still have several offensive questions to sort through, and this scrimmage should offer a clearer look at where things stand.
One of the biggest things Alabama wants to see is whether the run game is moving in the right direction. Ryan Grubb has been eager to talk about that part of the offense, and for good reason.
The offseason brought in tight ends coach Richard Owens and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm as part of the effort to revive one of the worst rushing offenses in team history. On top of that, the Tide are counting on development from returners Daniel Hill, AK Dear and Kevin Riley, along with freshmen EJ Crowell and Trae'shawn Brown.
Grubb said he’s already seen encouraging signs from that group.
"It was a competitive day for the running back, so I felt like it was coming from all different directions," Grubb said. "Everybody was showing up and doing a really good job.
So I think that the competition, you know, has held strong. Those guys are, I think, that's one of the biggest parts right now is the guys feeling that level of competition in the room.”
The backs will get plenty of the spotlight, but the run game is not just on them. Still, they’ll carry most of the praise and blame once the season starts, no matter what’s happening with the blocking in front of them or the work being done on the edges.
Alabama’s staff believes there’s real explosiveness here. The scrimmage will help show whether that starts to show up when the reps are live.
Another key area is wide receiver depth, especially at No. 3.
Alabama already knows what it has at the top of the depth chart, with Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks locked in as the top two receivers after the end of the 2025 season. Noah Rogers was expected to handle the No. 3 role before an A-Day injury sidelined the NC State transfer for the early part of 2026.
There has been progress behind those top names. Grubb said Rico Scott and Derek Meadows "are growing every day," while four-star freshman Cederian Morgan is "still learning, but is making a lot of plays."
The real issue is not whether Alabama has options. It’s how much those options can produce.
Scott, Meadows, Morgan and even Rogers could all matter in an offense that has at times struggled to get steady output from a third receiver. Building that trust with Mack and/or Russell is one of the biggest things to watch in this scrimmage.
Then there’s the offensive line, where Alabama is still trying to settle into its best combination. Three spots appear set: Jackson Lloyd at left tackle, Racin Delgatty at center and Michael Carroll at right guard. That leaves four players battling for two openings, with Jayvin James and Nick Brooks competing at right tackle and Mal Waldrep and William Sanders working at left guard.
The Tide are not just looking for five starters. They are trying to find the right five. Grubb has said the unit is getting closer to that point, and he’s now pushing "lines of communication" so the group can start building more chemistry together.
That part of the process may not be flashy, but it matters. Alabama’s first scrimmage could help settle a few of those answers and give the staff more room to focus on the communication and cohesion Grubb wants from the group.
In Other News...
Alabama Fall Camp Is Turning Up Pressure At Several Key Spots
Fall camp has a way of sorting out the players who are merely in the mix from the ones who can really tilt a depth chart, and a few Alabama sophomores are making that conversation interesting. Guard Mal Waldrep has been pushing for a bigger role up front, while running back AK Dear has been part of the group trying to carve out meaningful snaps behind the established names. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Luke Metz has also been in the hunt for a defensive role, enough to draw praise from defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.
There is no shortage of longer-view storylines surrounding the program either, from Alabamas early edge in the 2028 recruiting race to reports that five-star defensive lineman Tyzon Swann is leaning the Crimson Tides way. And in the background, athletic director Greg Byrne has already put some eyes toward basketball season by announcing upgrades to Coleman Coliseums video board and sound system. For a program built on constant competition, camp is doing exactly what it should - pushing a few young players into the spotlight while the next wave of talent keeps watching from the edge. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Fall Camp Is Revealing Who This Offense Cant Handle
Fall camp has already given Alabama a clearer picture of which defenders are making life difficult for the offense. Coaches Ryan Grubb and Kane Wommack have pointed to Devan Thompkins, Yhonzae Pierre, Red Morgan and Bray Hubbard as players who have stood out on that side of the ball, while Wommack also mentioned Ryan Coleman-Williams among the offensive names drawing attention. It has been the kind of early August evaluation period where individual flashes matter, especially as the staff sorts through who can raise the level of competition before the real games begin.
Kane Wommack also said the offense has shown growth in several key areas, including the running backs, tight ends and offensive line, which gives Alabama a better baseline as camp moves toward a scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The next stretch should offer a better read on how those gains hold up when the speed and pressure increase, and whether the defenders who have been making the most noise in practice can keep doing it when the offense has less room to breathe. [Read more 🡒]
Pollacks CFP Pick Will Frustrate Alabama Fans For One Reason
David Pollacks preseason College Football Playoff bracket is the kind of projection that will get plenty of attention in SEC country, especially around Alabama, where fans tend to measure any national forecast by how many league teams make the cut. On the See Ball Get Ball podcast, Pollack put five SEC teams in his field and still landed on Oregon as his champion, even with the Ducks sitting as the No. 4 seed.
He mapped out semifinal matchups of Oregon against Notre Dame and Texas against Indiana, and his reasoning centered on what Oregon brings back. Pollack pointed to the Ducks veteran core and the presence of likely NFL Draft pick Dante Moore as the ingredients that pushed him toward Oregon at the top, a call that should give Alabama fans plenty to debate as the season gets underway. [Read more 🡒]