Alabama’s push to fix its run game starts immediately, and Week 1 against East Carolina is the first chance to show that the offseason talk means something.
The Crimson Tide were stuck at 125th nationally in rushing last season, and that number has hovered over everything this offseason. On Monday, Kalen DeBoer made it clear that the answer isn’t just better blocking or a better backfield. He wants the whole offense operating as one unit.
“We want to be consistent,” Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said during his Monday press conference. “The physicality you see in a lot of different ways in a football team, but statistically that's what a lot of people look at it, and you can't deny that, right?
For us, it's doing your job -- that's across the board. It's not just the offensive line.
It's the quarterback doing a good job carrying out fakes because that's going to hold a defender. Receivers getting in there and doing their job, specifically, depending on the play -- what their responsibility is.
Running backs anticipating based on what they're seeing in front of them pre-snap going and executing. It's everyone executing at a high level.”
That’s the standard DeBoer is looking for when he studies the tape after Saturday’s opener. Alabama has a completely new offensive line, a new quarterback and young running backs, so the first game is less about polish and more about whether the pieces can function together.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb pointed to a specific issue from last season that has to disappear first: the negative plays.
“But at the same time, you know, for us, 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.”
Alabama will be short-handed early, with sophomore running back AK Dear out for the first couple of games. But Grubb said Monday morning that five-star freshman EJ Crowell will be available for the opener. The Tide also have senior Daniel Hill, junior Kevin Riley and freshman Trae'shawn Brown in the mix.
East Carolina gives Alabama a real test right away. The Pirates went 9-4 last season, won a bowl game and finished 25th in the country in rush defense. They’re not just showing up to be a warmup.
So Saturday becomes an early measuring stick for the new-look Tide offense. The backs, linemen, receivers, tight ends and quarterback all have to be on the same page if Alabama is going to turn the run game into something sturdier this season.
In Other News...
Kalen DeBoer Suddenly Has A Risky Alabama Roster Decision
As the fallout from the NCAAs latest eligibility debate continues to ripple through the sport, Alabama finds itself watching a situation that could open an unusual late-summer roster door. The issue centers on athletes from the 2022 class who are seeking a fifth college season, including some who have already spent time on NFL preseason rosters, and LSU is expected to move forward with several such additions even with SEC objections hanging over the conversation.
For Kalen DeBoer, the complication is whether Alabama could or should get involved if former players Jam Miller and Domani Jackson become available after their releases from NFL teams. Neither has publicly signaled any interest in a college return, and there is still no clear indication that Alabama would try to bring them back. Still, the possibility underscores how quickly a roster plan can become unsettled when the rules, the league and the transfer market are all moving at once. [Read more 🡒]
Kalen DeBoer Faces The Alabama Standard Nobody Can Truly Match
As Alabama gets ready to open the season against East Carolina, the conversation around Kalen DeBoer is already drifting back to the one standard that still hangs over the program: Nick Sabans. Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy recently pointed to the current college football landscape as a major reason that level of dominance is so hard to duplicate, with the sports new reality changing how teams are built and sustained.
McElroy also suggested the Tide have not had the same kind of raw talent on recent rosters that Alabama fans came to expect in the Saban years, even if this group could prove to be steadier from week to week. That leaves DeBoer in the familiar Alabama position of being measured not just by wins, but by how closely his team can come to matching a legacy few programs have ever been able to approach. [Read more 🡒]
Keelon Russells Alabama Debut Already Brings One Big Week 1 Debate
The first look at Alabamas 2026 season comes with a little more intrigue than a typical opener. The Crimson Tide are set to welcome East Carolina to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 5, with Kalen DeBoer entering his third season and Keelon Russell taking over at quarterback after Alabamas 11-4 finish and College Football Playoff quarterfinal run a year ago. East Carolina brings its own momentum to Tuscaloosa, arriving off a 9-4 season under Blake Harrell and with Mitch Griffis installed as the new starter.
For Alabama, the conversation around Russell has already started to spill beyond simple debut buzz and into how the matchup itself might look. East Carolina has enough recent success to make this more than a routine warmup, even if the Tide are expected to be the better team on paper. The bigger question hanging over Week 1 is how quickly Alabama can settle in behind its new quarterback and whether the opener will reveal anything meaningful about how far this group can go. [Read more 🡒]