Alabama may be getting overlooked on the outside, but Nate Oats likes what he sees inside his own program.
The Crimson Tide brought in a Top 10 high school recruiting class, added meaningful help through the Transfer Portal, and kept important pieces such as Amari Allen, Aden Holloway, and London Jemison in place. Even with that mix, Alabama is being treated more like a sleeper than a heavyweight heading into 2026-27. The Tide were picked to finish fifth in the SEC, a spot that has treated them well in the past, and they checked in at No. 20 in Monday’s preseason AP Poll.
That hasn’t changed the mood around Tuscaloosa.
In a recent interview with 247Sports’ Kyle Tucker, Oats was asked directly whether teams are sleeping on Alabama.
"I feel like they could be," Oats said.
A big reason for that confidence is Oats’ belief that Alabama addressed the problems that surfaced last season. The offense was never the issue - it rarely is with this team.
Alabama has led the nation in scoring three straight years and finished inside the top five in offensive efficiency in each of those seasons. The real question was whether the Tide could tighten things up on defense and on the boards.
Oats says that area got fixed.
He pointed to the additions of Brandon Garrison from Kentucky, Drew Fielder from Boise State, and Jamarion Davis-Fleming from Mississippi State as key portal moves that gave Alabama more size and help up front. The roster also got longer on the wing, with Holloway and true freshman Anderson Diaz the only players listed below 6-foot-5.
"I feel like the areas we needed to improve, we improved," Oats said. ...“I love our roster. I think we have a chance to compete with the best teams in the country with this roster.”
That kind of belief is nothing new for Oats. In seven seasons at Alabama, he has pushed the program to heights it had never reached before: five Sweet 16 trips, two Elite Eights, and the first Final Four in school history in 2024. The standard has changed under him, and he has made it clear that reaching the Final Four once was never going to be enough.
He wants more than a return trip. He wants a championship at Alabama, and that is part of why he has stayed put despite other opportunities being available.
So while the rest of the country may be treating the Tide like an under-the-radar team, the people closest to it see something different: a roster that is deep, balanced, and built to handle different kinds of opponents. If Oats is right about the defense and rebounding catching up to the offense, Alabama may be far more dangerous than its preseason billing suggests.
When March and April arrive, don’t be surprised if the Tide are still standing.
In Other News...
Alabama Pass Rush Problem Could Follow The Tide Into Texas A&M
The pass rush has become one of the more uncomfortable storylines around Alabama after the Tide managed just one sack in each of their last two games, both losses. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack has pointed to the same issue showing up again and again, with recent opponents getting the ball out quickly enough to blunt pressure before it can turn into a disruption.
Now the challenge appears to be waiting again with Texas A&M, which could bring a similar approach when it meets Alabama. If the Aggies are able to spread the ball around and keep the quarterback moving through reads fast, the Tide will need to find a way to create heat without relying on a rush that has not consistently gotten home lately. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces Growing Pressure To Stop This Slide Fast
Alabama heads into its matchup with Texas A&M carrying an unfamiliar weight after consecutive losses, the programs first back-to-back regular-season defeats since 2007. For a team used to setting the tone in the SEC, the timing could hardly be worse, especially with offensive issues starting up front and showing up in the passing game. The Tide have little margin to let the skid linger.
Texas A&M brings its own questions, but the Aggies have at least shown signs of improvement on defense, which only adds to the challenge Alabama is facing. Both teams need a response to steady their SEC standing, and for Alabama the pressure is about more than one result. It is about whether the slide gets stopped now, before it becomes something harder to shake. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Finally Has A Real Opening For AK Dear
AK Dear has spent most of the 2026 season waiting for his chance, and so far it has been a quiet one. The Alabama running back has only two carries for six yards, a number that reflects how limited his role has been since the season began, even after he arrived with the kind of recruiting buzz that made him one of the more intriguing young players on the roster.
Now the path looks a little more open. With EJ Crowell dealing with a knee injury and Alabama struggling to get much going on the ground, Dear could be in line for a bigger workload when the Crimson Tide face Texas A&M. He flashed promise in his debut season, but his usage has dipped this year, and this matchup may finally give Alabama a better look at what he can do with real touches. [Read more 🡒]