Kane Wommack’s job description has shifted as Alabama’s fall camp keeps moving toward the season opener. The Crimson Tide defensive coordinator is no longer just building out the scheme; he’s also sorting through a linebacker group and figuring out which players have earned the right to be trusted when the games start.
That means Wommack is, in his own words, becoming "a human stock market," weighing whose "stocks are up," whose are down and which defenders he can count on to "do their job at a high level," the ones Alabama will "ride with."
The biggest focus is inside linebacker, where Alabama has to replace Deontae Lawson, Nikhai Hill-Green and Justin Jefferson from last season. Wommack is trying to lock in three to four main options there, with a few more players ready to step in behind them.
He said he is "pretty close" to settling on those choices, and the group has clearly made an impression on him.
Freshman five-star Xavier Griffin and Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson have "put themselves in position to play," Wommack said. Luke Metz has developed "to another level." And Abduall Sanders Jr., QB Reese, Cayden Jones and Duke Johnson II have all done enough to earn snaps.
"Those guys, they are all going to have a role for us," Wommack said. "It's just, kind of, at some point, right, you kind of have to say, 'Here's the two deep,' and let those guys ride and see what happens in games."
That decision is coming soon for Alabama, with the second fall camp scrimmage approaching and the season opener against East Carolina right around the corner.
In Other News...
Alabamas Quarterback Battle Is Starting To Tilt One Way
Fall camp has a way of sharpening every quarterback conversation, and Alabamas has started to narrow in a way that matters for the rest of the SEC. Around the country, several major programs are still sorting through open competitions, with Tennessee weighing Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre and schools like Iowa, North Carolina and Florida still without a definitive answer. In Tuscaloosa, the picture is becoming clearer as the Crimson Tide move closer to naming a starter.
Keelon Russell has emerged as the quarterback who appears to be ahead in the race, which gives Alabama a growing sense of direction as the season approaches. Austin Mack remains part of the conversation, but the gap seems to be forming at the right time for a staff trying to settle the position before the games start to count. Another checkpoint is coming soon, and the decision now feels less like a wide-open battle and more like one nearing its final turn. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas New Offensive Look Has One Huge Advantage This Season
Alabamas offense is leaning into size in a way that should make life easier for Ryan Grubb as the season unfolds. The coordinator has pointed to bigger receivers Derek Meadows and Cederian Morgan as players who can give the passing game a different feel, while also signaling that the Tides tight end room could become a major part of the plan. Kaleb Edwards, Marshall Pritchett, Danny Lewis Jr. and Josh Ford have all been in the mix as camp has gone on, giving the staff more ways to build around matchups rather than force the same look snap after snap.
Grubb has made it clear that the goal is to use personnel in a way that tests defenses and keeps Alabama flexible from down to down. The tight ends have stood out as a bright spot in camp, and the expectation is that their usage will rise as the offense settles in. For a unit looking for reliable answers and a little more strain on opposing coverage, that kind of depth gives the Tide a useful edge before the season even gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Offensive Line Is Suddenly Fueling Real Buzz At Camp
There is a little more life around Alabamas offensive line this camp after a strong practice caught the attention of Aaron Taylor, the former Notre Dame lineman and Super Bowl champion who watched the group up close. Taylor came away impressed with the way the Tide were moving people in the run game, pointing to cleaner technique and a more forceful approach than he saw before, while also crediting the influence of offensive line coach Klemm.
For Alabama, that kind of outside validation matters because the line has been a central question as the offense tries to establish itself early in the season. Taylors read was that the group looked improved in the core areas that decide whether a team can control games at the line of scrimmage, and he especially noted the progress in run blocking. The question now is how consistently that camp buzz carries over once the real snaps start adding up. [Read more 🡒]