Joel Klatt admits he struggled ranking Alabama before settling at No. 9 for next season

Making up his post-spring top 25, there was one team FOX’s Joel Klatt struggled to place. Klatt admitted he was not too sure what to do with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Ultimately, they landed at No. 9 heading into the second season of Kalen DeBoer.

How they performed in DeBoer’s first campaign is what left Klatt stumped. Results were not great, by Alabama’s standards, due to a 9-3 record and missing out on the College Football Playoff. Quarterback play was a big talking point and left Klatt wondering if the fit was the issue.

“I struggled with this team quite a bit,” Klatt said. “I did not know where to put Alabama, I just didn’t. Looks like Ty Simpson is the leader to be the starting quarterback. I like Kalen DeBoer. I thought it was going to be better last year. Was it just not a fit with Jalen Milroe and DeBoer? Maybe. Simpson is a former five-star; he’s been waiting three years for this chance.”

DeBoer himself has not officially named the starting quarterback. Newly hired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb recently gave us an idea of who would take the first snap against Florida State. Simpson would be the starter “if we’re playing a football game tomorrow,” Grubb said on April 14.

Maybe having a little more confidence in the quarterback situation, Klatt then began to go through the rest of the roster. Plenty of big-time pieces are still in Tuscaloosa, the product of recruiting wins from the Nick Saban days and what DeBoer has done in the NCAA transfer portal. Enough was there for Klatt to eventually place Alabama inside the top 10.

“On defense — LT Overton, Tim Keenan on the defensive line,” Klatt said. “Deontae Lawson at linebacker. They still have Ryan Williams on the offensive side, one of the best players in the country. They’ve got (Germie) Bernard out there. They get Kaydn Proctor, he’s now a three-year starter. They’ve got their center, Parker Brailsford. He’s in there. So now I’m like ‘Okay, I think I’m in.’ So they’re going into my top 10.”

No. 9 would be the Crimson Tide’s lowest preseason ranking since 2008, Saban’s second season in charge of the program. For 16 consecutive years, Alabama has been inside the top five before a ball was snapped. In Klatt’s eyes, the streak will come to an end when the AP poll is released this fall.