An anonymous Big Ten running backs coach didn’t hold back when The Athletic asked for opinions on Alabama heading into Week 1.
“Alabama. It looks like they’re morphing into a Pac-12 team (sic),” the coach said.
“I like (Kalen) DeBoer a lot, but I think there’s a softness to how they play. The way they got beat by Indiana last year was like, ‘Whoa!’”
That criticism lands at a time when Alabama’s ground game is already a clear focus for the program. The running game has been a point of frustration for DeBoer and his staff since last season, and fixing it has become a priority.
Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb addressed that issue Monday, pointing first to the team’s struggles with negative plays.
“I thought one of our biggest sins last year was the number of negative yardage runs that we had,” Grubb said. “You know, for us, just the availability of keeping the ball consistently moving forward and eliminating the negative yardage runs is going to be step one. And that’s a very low bar.
“And I guess what I’m saying there is the communication piece that we’re on the same page and we don’t have busted A and B gap assignments. And for us, that’s going to be priority one. If they do that, take care of the line scrimmage and work vertically, I think they’re going to have all the results that they want to see.”
The comments came from a broader The Athletic survey that included 18 coaches, position coaches, general managers and analysts across FBS football, all speaking anonymously.
In Other News...
Alabama Got A Feel Good Visit Right Before The Season Opener
Right before Alabama kicked off its season, the program got a little extra star power on campus. WWE standout Oba Femi, better known to Crimson Tide followers as former track athlete Isaac Odugbesan, stopped by the universitys athletic facilities and spent time with the football team and coach Kalen DeBoer, turning the visit into one of those feel-good moments that reminds everyone how wide Alabamas athletic reach really is.
Femi also took in the upgrades around the facilities, and he was complimentary about the work ethic he saw from the football side. The visit carried an added flourish when he presented DeBoer with a custom championship belt, a fitting gesture from someone who has climbed fast in WWE and still has a connection to the school that helped shape his athletic path. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama WR Ryan Coleman-Williams Is Taking A Risk He Can't Afford
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Coleman-Williams has also chosen to lean into a familiar approach as he tries to clean up the part of his game that drew the most scrutiny. For a player who needs a strong year to reframe the conversation around him, every rep will matter, and Alabama will be watching closely to see whether the adjustment helps him turn a promising skill set into dependable production. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Opener Comes Down To 3 Early Signs Fans Need To See
The first look at Alabamas 2026-27 season will come against East Carolina, and the opener is already being framed around three early indicators fans will want to track. A rebuilt offensive line is one of them, with several new faces expected to settle in quickly as the Tide try to establish stability up front before the SEC grind begins. Clean, disciplined football is the other broad theme, because September is rarely forgiving when a team is still sorting through first-game details.
On defense, the spotlight shifts to the line and the transfer help that could shape that unit right away. Devan Thompkins, Terrance Green and Kedrick Bingley-Jones are among the new names the staff is counting on, and the confidence around that group is part of why the opener matters so much beyond the final score. If Alabama can stay healthy, cut down on mistakes and get those early signs from both lines, it should leave the kind of first impression that travels well into conference play. [Read more 🡒]