The Alabama File
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Home Stadium: Bryant-Denny Stadium
2024 record: 8-4
Notable Red Elephant: Bernie Madoff. The disgraced former investment adviser and convicted Ponzi schemer attended Alabama for a year, joining the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, before transferring to Hofstra. I do not know if he got to take his menswear or his Dodge Charger with him.
I Don’t Think Bear Done It This A’ Way
Kalen DeBoer’s first season in Tuscaloosa was a glass half full/half empty affair for Tide fans. Alabama’s first season without Nick Saban ended with four losses, the most since Saban’s first season in 2007. On the one hand, you can say that four losses is certainly more than Bama fans can be counted on to tolerate on an even semi-regular basis. On the other, if Saban did it then it just can’t be all that bad, right?
Recency bias is a powerful force in the college football world, and as a result expectations remain high in 2025. The Crimson Tide return a defense loaded with stars at every level, a talented, veteran offensive line and a deep stable of running backs. Oh, there’s also wide receiver Ryan Williams, likely the SEC’s most electric playmaker. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some questions, both on the surface and deep down, that DeBoer and staff must answer to keep people from talking about Mike Shula.
The Tide Offense: Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?
The biggest question is clearly who will replace Jalen Milroe at quarterback, and the answer appears to be redshirt junior Ty Simpson. Simpson has thrown only 50 passes during a career that includes three seasons as a backup, but that’s 47 more attempts than any other quarterback on the Tide roster. In the land of the newcomers, the merely inexperienced man is king.
Simpson may be the next Mac Jones, a career backup who steps into the limelight and leads the Tide to glory. He could also be the next Blake Sims, a career backup who is second guessed by Tide fans right up until he gives up the starting spot to the next guy. I don’t really know which it will be.
I do know that Simpson will have at his disposal the services of receiver Ryan Williams, who could be the best receiver in college football, and almost certainly is the best in the SEC. After a freshman season in which he caught 48 passes for 865 yards and 8 touchdowns, getting Williams the ball early and often will be job 1 for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Williams’ skills will be augmented by Miami transfer Isaiah Horton, who went for a nifty 616 receiving yards on 56 catches of his own in Coral Gables last season.
The Tide may take a step back at tailback with Justice Haynes’ transfer to Michigan. But DeBoer’s squad does return senior Jam Miller, who was second only to Milroe in rushing yards with 668 on 145 attempts in 2024. But perhaps the biggest question in the run game will be how Grubb manufactures rushing offense without Milroe who, as Bulldog fans can attest, was a weapon in the ground game that Ty Simpson is unlikely to be. Miller’s 668 yards were the fewest a Crimson Tide tailback has led the unit with since Ahmaad Galloway led all Bama tailbacks with 659 in the year 2000.
Up front the Tide return 3 of 5 starting offensive linemen from last season: center Parker Brailsford, tackle Kadyn Proctor and guard Jaeden Roberts.They’ll be replacing tackle Elijah Pritchett, who started 11 games on the right side in 2024 and another at left tackle, and was an Outland Trophy watch list member. Also gone is starting left tackle Tyler Booker, an All-SEC selection taken in the first round of the NFL draft. How seamlessly those two are replaced will determine this unit’s success. And the success of the O line will go a long way to determining whether the Tide take a step back offensively.

The Tide Defense: T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Alabama and Georgia finished 7th and 8th respectively in total defense last season, a decided step back for both units from prior seasons. Kane Wommack’s unit (like Glenn Schuman’s) wasn’t bad so much as inconsistent. Playing more consistent and occasionally dominant defense would go a long way to relieving some pressure from that offense that’s replacing key cogs.
The good news for Wommack is that there’s talent all over the place, and perhaps nowhere more than in the secondary. Bray Hubbard stepped in for injured preseason all-conference selection Keon Sabb. Hubbard will play a big role again in 2025, even with Sabb back. Domani Jackson is a legitimate All-American candidate at corner and Zabien Brown returns with experience.
Utah transfer Cam Calhoun may not crack the starting rotation, but will almost certainly see heavy rotational use.
The Tide also return a ton of veteran talent at linebacker, headlined by junior Deontae Lawson, redshirt senior Justin Jefferson, and redshirt sophomore Qua Russaw. While leading 2024 tackler Jihaad Campbell has moved on to the pros, the 6’2, 239 pound Lawson (76 tackles, 2 sacks, 6.5 TFL, and 1 interception in 2024) has legitimate first round potential. Russaw (36 tackles, 2 interceptions in 2024) may be one of the most physically impressive and versatile defenders in the league, a 6’2, 250 outside ‘backer who can both play above average coverage and is growing into an elite pass rusher.
Up front the Tide are led by Texas A&M transfer and preseason second team All-SEC selection LT Overton. The 6’5, 278 pound Overton contributed 42 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks from his Edge spot last season and is likely to play a critical role in rebuilding the Bama pass rush. Inside, fellow second team All-SEC pick Tim Keenan, III. The 6’2, 320 pound redshirt senior tallied 40 tackles and an impressive 8.5 tackles for loss from his nose spot in 2024 and begins 2025 on the Nagurski and Bednarik Award watch lists.
It pains me greatly to admit this: this Alabama defense could be pretty special. It’s a veteran group with key returners from front to back. If a few of the talented underclassmen on this deep roster take a step forward, and the Tide can avoid injury, Wommack may have one of the three best units in the SEC.
Special Teams: What You’ll Do When I’m Gone
Bama heads into 2025 needing to replace place kicker Graham Nicholson, punter James Burnip, and snapper Kneeland Hibbett. Those are three positions that often go unnoticed and underappreciated until something goes wrong. If there’s a weakness on this Alabama team, this may be it. Or maybe not. The truth is no one will really know until tie meets leather in a critical situation.

Redshirt sophomore Conor Talty takes over the kicking duties after watching first Will Reichard then Nicholson. He’s a guy who’s been on campus for three years and been in the pressure-packed environments of the SEC. That’s no guarantee of success, but it is probably better than relying on a complete newcomer.
The punting battle will come down to former Colorado School of Mines punter Blake Doud (46.6 yards per kick in 2024) and freshman Alex Asparuhov. I would anticipate the veteran Doud wins this one, but really have no idea.
The snapping duties will almost certainly be handled by junior Cal transfer David Bird. Bird started at snapper for the Golden Bears in 2023 and 2024 without an errant snap, which is the sort of quiet efficiency you want from that position. If your long snapper makes headlines that’s generally bad for everyone.
Bottom Line
The Tide still have a backlog of Saban era talent on the roster, but at times during 2024 it appeared that talent may not have played with the razor sharpness we came to expect from Saban-coached teams. My biggest questions for 2025 will be whether the Tide stay healthy and avoid mistakes on offense. The defense will likely keep them in every game on the schedule, and may win a couple with little or no help from the rest of the roster.
They’ll open the year against an FSU squad that could be playing for Mike Norvell’s job, then have home dates against UL-M and Wisconsin. I expect the September 27th trip to Athens to be a big step up in competition, and a true pecking order game in the SEC, putting two teams facing many of the same challenges against each other. Which rookie QB will make the necessary plays and avoid the mistakes you just can’t make to win in the SEC? Which dominant defense will rule the day ? In the end, the difference may well be a veteran Georgia special teams unit that should be among the best in the country in 2025.
Score prediction: Georgia 27, Alabama 24. The Tide miss a field goal to tie it late in the fourth and Nate Frazier and Gunner Stockton run out the clock behind a big Bulldog line to escape with a close win. Until later…