The offseason chatter is almost done for Alabama, and now the Crimson Tide have to let the pads do the talking.
Fall Camp opens Wednesday, Aug. 5, giving Kalen DeBoer’s team its first real chance to start answering the doubts hanging over the program after the 2025 11-win season. That season is already one plenty of Alabama fans would rather move past quickly, and the skepticism around the Crimson Tide hasn’t exactly gone away.
College Football News’ Pete Futiak put that doubt in blunt terms when he asked, "How close is Alabama to being national title great again?" His answer: "Further than everyone wants to believe."
He wasn’t entirely down on Alabama, either. Futiak also said, "It’s Alabama.
It’s going to be great at college football. DeBoer is a great football coach.
There will be plenty of wins, but that’s never going to be good enough."
That last line is the one that matters most. Plenty of wins may be the floor for Alabama, but the standard in Tuscaloosa has never been about merely stacking victories. The bigger issue now is whether the Crimson Tide can show they’ve fixed the problems that surfaced last season.
And that starts with toughness.
DeBoer has talked about it. Players have talked about it. Safety Bray Hubbard was especially direct, saying: "Play physical all, all year long."
Now comes the hard part: proving it. By the time Alabama gets into camp and certainly by the first scrimmage, around Aug. 15, the talking has to give way to something real. The Crimson Tide need to show they can play with the kind of edge and physicality that has long defined the program at its best.
There was a time not too long ago when Alabama players said the toughest battles they faced weren’t on Saturdays, but in practice. That kind of internal pressure can come with a cost, including injuries, but it also built the standard Alabama is trying to reclaim.
If that edge doesn’t return, then Futiak’s warning may end up sounding less like a hot take and more like a forecast.
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ESPNs Paul Finebaum recently put a sharper edge on that conversation, pointing to lingering concerns about the offense as Alabama heads into another offseason of transition. The Tide still have the talent to matter, but the questions around how the unit will function next season are hard to ignore, especially with major turnover up front and a quarterback picture that has yet to bring much certainty. [Read more 🡒]