Had a chance to catch up with Kalen DeBoer and a few players Tuesday on campus. The Michigan thing was real last December, but DeBoer simply wasn't going to engage with them during a playoff run. Plus, he emphasized to me that the Alabama job was the only one that could have pried him away from Washington and he wasn't "running away" after two years. It's clear that following Nick Saban, as daunting as that would be for anyone, was important to DeBoer and a challenge he wanted and now the goal is to play more consistently, and as he said, get over that hump after winning a playoff game last season.
Sorting out the makeup of the offensive line remains the most pressing concern and plugging in all the new faces at the right spots. DeBoer also told me he thinks Alabama fared a lot better in the portal than maybe given credit for and that he wasn't going to overpay to get players or keep players that were commanding more money than they were worth. The secondary should be one of the best in the country and deep, especially given how some of newcomers have looked. Quarterback competition remains close. No decision until the preseason. If there's not clear separation, my feel in talking with people there is that Austin Mack will be the starter in Week 1. Also think it will remain fluid. Hard to imagine Keelon Russell doesn't get a shot pretty early. Mack's command of the offense is better as he's been in the system longer. Russell has a huge upside. One thing is for sure. If he doesn't play much this year, he will be playing somewhere else next year. Of course, if Alabama doesn't run the ball better in 2026, it's going to put even more strain on whoever wins the job. I doubt Alabama will ask either player to do as much at the line of scrimmage and make the calls to the degree Ty Simpson did a year ago.
A few transfers to watch: WR Noah Rodgers, TE Josh Ford, OT Jayvin James, LB Caleb Woodson and CB Carmelo O'Neal. WR Ryan Coleman-Williams told me he's up to 182 pounds. He was 170 last season and came to Alabama weighing 155. Freshman RB EJ Crowell has a calf/leg injury that Alabama doesn't want to get worse and develop into a stress fracture type of deal, so he's limited this spring. But earlier this year, he was clocked at 23 mph. Alabama has had its share of talented edge rushers. I look for Yhonzae Pierre to take it to another level this season. He led the team with eight sacks a year ago. Seeing who emerges on the interior in the DL is another key. DC Kane Wommack likes the added length of the players on defense, and Alabama should be able to do some different things and play closer to the way Wommack wants to play with so many difference-makers and experience in the secondary. It has a chance to be one of the best defensive backfields the Tide have had in years.
My sense in talking to some people is that Alabama will keep the series with Ohio State in 2027 and 2028 and not try to buy its way out of it. But with nine league games now, DeBoer said every team in the SEC would be re-evaluating its non-conference schedule. Alabama and DeBoer's reps are still having some conversations about a contract extension. They never agreed to one last December when all the Michigan stuff came up. I think they will get something done before the start of the season. Will be interesting to see if a raise is part of the extension.
DeBoer admitted that he never would have predicted what Indiana did last season on its way to a perfect season when he was in Bloomington as OC for the Hoosiers in 2019. But he said that current Indiana AD Scott Dolman was the deputy director of athletics when DeBoer was on campus and DeBoer could sense that Dolman was ahead of the game in doing the right things, paying higher salaries and just overall investing in football. Indiana paid DeBoer $700,000, which was the most the Hoosiers had ever paid a coordinator. "A lot of credit goes to Scott and his vision," DeBoer said.
Alabama's Kalen DeBoer plans on 'being here for a while' and wasn't running away after just two years - On3
