Alabama Football’s Offseason Reset: DeBoer Talks Changes, Confidence in Front Seven, and QB Continuity
Kalen DeBoer isn’t one to tip his hand too much, but when he spoke at the Senior Bowl this week, the Alabama head coach gave a window into the mindset driving the Crimson Tide’s offseason. In a year where change has been a constant, DeBoer made it clear: this program is focused on production, precision, and progress.
“It’s about production,” DeBoer said. “We know we’ve got to be better there.
Mindset. Execution.
The details of the fundamentals the guys need.”
That message hits especially hard when you consider the shakeup along the offensive line. Eric Kapilovic, who coached the Tide’s O-line the past two seasons, is out.
He was still out on the recruiting trail when the decision came down. DeBoer admitted he was weighing different options, but by week’s end, the direction was clear.
“There’s different avenues and directions I was still thinking about going,” DeBoer said. “It just became apparent to me what direction I was probably looking to go to as the week went on.”
The offensive line was a clear pain point last season. There’s talent in the room, no question - but cohesion and consistency were missing.
With only one starter returning (Michael Carroll, who just wrapped his freshman year), the Tide will lean heavily on a group that includes five new high school recruits and six transfer portal additions. It’s a fresh start, and DeBoer knows the foundation has to be stronger.
While the offensive line remains a work in progress, DeBoer is far more bullish on the front seven defensively.
“I’m fired up about that group,” he said. “I’m fired up about what those guys bring.
Both the returners and the newcomers that come in. I think we got longer, we got bigger, we got more athletic.”
That’s not just coach-speak. Alabama saw plenty of movement up front - some of it expected, some of it not.
Defensive line starters Tim Keenan III and LT Overton are in Mobile this week for Senior Bowl practices. Other key contributors like James Smith, Qua Russaw, Jordan Renaud, and Keon Keeley have also moved on, either to the NFL or via the transfer portal.
But DeBoer and his staff have retooled quickly. The returning core, plus a few intriguing new pieces, gives the Tide a chance to be disruptive again up front. Overton, for one, is confident in what’s coming next - and he’s already got his eye on a couple of breakout candidates.
“Definitely my boy Edric Hill,” Overton said. “Him and Dijon Lee.”
Hill enters his fourth year in the program after logging 15 appearances and three starts last season. He brings experience and a deep understanding of the scheme. Lee, meanwhile, is expected to lock down a starting cornerback role opposite Zabien Brown after a strong freshman campaign where he played in every game and started five.
“They can bring like a different type of want to, a grit to that defense,” Overton said. “I know Dijon being a young guy … picked up a lot, taking in a lot from the older guys that are over him especially in the DB and safety core.
Edric Hill, he’s been there. It’s going to be his fourth year coming up in Bama.
He knows the scheme. He knows how to handle himself well.”
Lee may have started the year as a sleeper, but at this point, he’s no secret. Hill, though, could be the next name to emerge from the shadows.
As for the quarterbacks, DeBoer isn’t hitting the reset button - and that’s a big deal. Alabama will have two signal-callers returning in Austin Mack and Julian Sayin Russell, both of whom know the system and have real game experience.
“It’s huge,” DeBoer said. “Two guys that know our system at quarterback. Just, again, with an offensive line that’s got some leaders that are gone, two quarterbacks that can carry over from last year, what we did and keep it moving forward.”
That continuity at QB could be a stabilizing force for an offense that’s undergoing major reconstruction in the trenches. With a new-look line and a third new starting quarterback in as many years, Alabama’s offensive identity is still taking shape - but having leadership and familiarity under center is a strong starting point.
One name that could be a difference-maker on the defensive side is Jah-Marien Latham. After missing nearly the entire 2025 season with a lower-body injury, the veteran lineman has been granted a medical redshirt and will return for a seventh season. His presence adds versatility and depth to a defense that could use both.
“You feel the sense of urgency from Zeebo Latham,” defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “I don’t think people realize how important Jah-Marien was to us a year ago.
He can play our Wolf. He can play our Bandit position.
He can play 3-technique in a pinch. And when we lost him, we lost a lot of backup depth and versatility that we would have loved to have.”
Wommack also confirmed that Jeremiah Beaman, who missed time with a knee injury, is on track to return as well. That’s another boost for a defense that’s banking on experience and flexibility to carry it through a transition year.
And through all the changes, DeBoer has earned the respect of his players. Tim Keenan III, who played under both DeBoer and Nick Saban, spoke candidly about the challenges and the growth under Alabama’s new head coach.
“Of course coming behind Saban, he’s going to be held to that standard,” Keenan said. “But coach DeBoer is great in his own way.
He got guys to go through a lot of adversity. The record doesn’t show the things we’ve been through and the things we overcame.”
DeBoer is 20-8 through two seasons in Tuscaloosa. That includes wins over Georgia (twice), LSU, Auburn, and Tennessee - but also some frustrating losses, including the 2025 season opener against Florida State.
There have been moments of promise and moments of regression. Now, in Year 3, the expectations are clear.
Alabama wants to be back in the national title conversation - not just in the playoff, but in the hunt.
“I don’t have a bad thing to say about coach DeBoer at all,” Keenan added. “I love him.
He was very good to me. A great leader.
Of course at the end of the day, he’s human. I was able to pick my coach up when he was able to pick me up.”
On the Hardwood: Nate Oats Adds Another Big-Time Recruit
While the football program continues to retool, Alabama basketball is stacking talent under Nate Oats. The Tide just landed a commitment from top-25 senior Qayden Samuels, who chose Alabama over Georgetown.
Samuels, a Maryland native, took visits to both schools in the fall but waited until after the early signing period to make his call.
“I had to decide whether I wanted to stay home or go away,” Samuels said. “My family was going to support either decision.
When I went to Alabama, I loved the school. I met with the trainers, academic staff, and the athletic director, and I felt a strong connection.”
That connection - and Oats’ long-term recruitment - helped seal the deal. Oats had been after Samuels since his sophomore year, and now adds a versatile scorer to a class that’s climbed into the national top 10.
And the Tide may not be done yet. Alabama remains in hot pursuit of Caleb Holt, the top-ranked guard in the class and an in-state product. If Oats can close that deal, this class could be special.
Between DeBoer’s calculated rebuild on the gridiron and Oats’ continued recruiting success on the hardwood, Alabama athletics is navigating a new era - and doing it with purpose.