Happy Monday, everyone. The biggest news of the weekend was the addition of a senior JUCO linebacker who will be eligible this season. Christian Miller did a little film work on him.
There doesn’t seem to be a ton of information out there about Odom’s remaining eligibility, but given the new five year rule he probably has at least one more beyond this season.
SEC Media Days are upon us, and everyone has questions for Kalen DeBoer’s squad.
What’s the Tide’s identity?
Smashmouth football was a staple under Nick Saban, but Kalen DeBoer is struggling to develop an offensive identity at Alabama heading into his third season. Alabama ranked 123rd in rushing (104.1 yards per game) last season, and in the offseason lost a commitment from heralded NC State running back Hollywood Smothers, who instead chose Texas.
How does Alabama respond after getting bounced from the CFP by a more physical Indiana team? “Balance is a great word — and just perspective,” DeBoer said in May. “It doesn’t happen overnight, and there are a lot of things when it comes to physical play that we do extremely well.”
One of those “things” is tackling, he said. The Tide improved to 13th nationally in total defense last season.
1. Will Alabama’s offensive line improve?
For better or for worse, the Crimson Tide offensive line will look much different in 2026.
But will it be better?
Change doesn’t automatically mean improvement. But change is necessary after Alabama didn’t get what it always needed from the big men up front in 2025.
Now, all but one player is gone from the group of players who saw starting snaps in 2025. Michael Carroll is the lone returner. With a mix of transfer portal additions and younger players emerging to fill roles, the front five will be much different in 2026.
Plus, there’s a new offensive line coach in Adrian Klemm.
It’s no exaggeration to say the success of the season depends on this group’s improvement.
How is the Quarterback Battle Going?
We’ll start with the obvious one, as every time Alabama has a quarterback battle on its hands, it becomes one of the hottest offseason and preseason topics in college football. This year, it’s between senior Austin Mack and sophomore Keelon Russell.
Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said on March 12 that the competition is “pretty even,” but Russell definitely looked better about a month later at A-Day. DeBoer said after the scrimmage that Mack was “dinged up” and that fans shouldn’t overreact to the differences between the two QBs on that day. An update on the battle will be one of, if not the first question that DeBoer receives next Wednesday.
I think we’ve covered all of that enough this offseason. We’ll see what Kalen and team have to say about it on Wednesday.
USA Today has Ohio State as the top college football program now.
1. Ohio State
We are witnessing one of the greatest runs in college football in Columbus. The Buckeyes are 165-21 since 2012. In 2024, Ryan Day became the program’s third full-time coach in a row to win a national championship. What else is there to say? Ohio State has won at least 10 games of every full season but one since 2005. It is simply the Bowl Subdivision gold standard and the envy of every program in the country in and out of the Big Ten.
2. Alabama
Alabama football is more than a program, and it’s bigger than an international brand. It’s a way of life. The Script A represents tradition and excellence. Alabama fans are plugged in year-round to their favorite sport, and expectations rarely dip. There are also the national championships – 13 among the two major wire services. And the debate over who is the sports greatest coach comes down to Nick Saban or Bear Bryant. Either way, it’s an Alabama coach.
Erik Evans is on the mend and wrote about how Kane Wommack’s scheme has changed the type of player Alabama is recruiting at all three levels.
As with every sport predicated upon creating schematic mismatches, there are trade-offs that you have to decide whether you can live with — and for a lot of ‘Bama fans, it is dismaying that the price the Tide pays for having a no-fly zone and forcing turnovers is a defensive front that light in the ass against power rushing attack and that can put some pressure on quarterbacks, but will never ring up sacks like those monsters of Tide teams past.
Last, I’ll just leave this here for your commentary.
That’s about it for today. Have a great week.
Roll Tide.
