Alabama ranks No. 6 on Greg McElroy's Top 10 defenses in college football list

ESPN’s Greg McElroy is going through defenses across college football heading into the 2025 season, ranking his top 10. Alabama features on the list, coming in at No. 10. The Crimson Tide are well past the days of Nick Saban‘s system, now relying on defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.

A lot of fresh faces appeared in Tuscaloosa last season. Freshmen were given tons of playing time, as even savvy veterans were learning a completely new scheme. McElroy mentioned early bumps in the road before settling in nicely and getting quality results.

Given another offseason to understand what Wommack is doing, McElroy is quite high on what Alabama can be in 2025. He ranks them as the preseason No. 6 defense, providing his reasoning as well.

“Just think about how much more comfortable this Alabama group will be from top to bottom under Kane Wommack for the second year,” McElroy said. “A ton of elite talent, a ton of guys that played last year. They got their feet wet and now, they’re poised to take a huge leap. This could be one of the best groups in the country by season’s end, assuming those young players can continue to develop the way they were developing throughout last season.”

Plenty of big-named players are back in the program too, starting with the secondary. Domani Jackson is expected to be a shutdown corner while Keon Sabb returns after dealing with a foot injury for most of last season. When healthy, Sabb showed enough to show he has the capability of being an elite player.

Deontae Lawson tore his Achilles against Oklahoma, ending any chance of making a run at the NFL Draft. Alabama is happy to get him back in the system and be the anchor the Crimson Tide need. Not many positions in football are more valuable than a green dot middle linebacker.

Pass rush might be the biggest question for Wommack ahead of Aug. 30’s season opener against Florida State. Several names pop when discussing the area but production does not match. McElroy mentions LT Overton as somebody with upside with some experience under their belt. He also names Keon Keeley, a former Five-Star Plus+ recruit, who has yet to break out.

Kalen DeBoer has always been more known for his elite-level offensive units. But with quarterback unknowns in likely starter Ty Simpson, Alabama might wind up relying on its defense early on. McElroy appears confident that Wommack’s squad can step up to the plate.