Can Alabama Consistently Contain a Running Quarterback in 2025? Just a Minute

Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kane Wommack recently spoke about Alabama's 2025 season opener against Florida State and quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

Oct 25, 2024; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos (1) runs the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a video series featuring BamaCentral's Alabama beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers will group up to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.

Watch the above video as BamaCentral staff writer Hunter De Siver discusses something to watch for ahead of Alabama football's season opener.

2024 was perhaps the wildest year in recent memory for Alabama football as head coach Nick Saban retired in January and former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer was named his successor.

DeBoer hired three-year South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack to be the Crimson Tide's next defensive coordinator less than a week after he landed the job. Alabama's defense showed a lot of improvement last season from years past as the Crimson Tide's 17.4 points allowed per game were its least since 2017.

However, while it shined in the takeaways department as Alabama's 17 interceptions were tied for the seventh-most in the nation, perhaps the Crimson Tide's biggest weakness was against quarterbacks who can run. Some examples include then-Oklahoma quarterback Jackon Arnold, who rushed for 131 yards, South Florida's Byrum Brown (108 yards), Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia (56) and then-Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava (44).

Three of those four examples resulted in losses for Alabama and it'll be put to the test in the 2025 season opener against Florida State and Seminoles new quarterback Thomas Castellanos. The former Boston College transfer was limited as a rusher last season due to injury, but he ran for over 1,000 yards 2022 and 2023.

In addition to Castellanos, FSU also brought in former Auburn and UCF head coach Gus Malzahn to be the Seminoles next offensive coordinator after a brutal 2024 season. Wommack knows Malzahn well and briefly spoke on Tuesday night at the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet about him and the season opener.

“You look at our first game of the season against Florida State, [they have an] athletic quarterback,” Wommack said, per AL.com. “I played for Gus Malzahn [while at Arkansas in 2006]. I know how Gus does things from a quarterback run game. [Florida State head coach] Mike Norvell does the same thing. So those are the things that you kind of have to be aware of, and that everybody has an element to that in their game plan.”

It's clear that Wommack will make this an emphasis toward the Crimson Tide defense over the summer as the spring practice window concluded nearly a month ago. Alabama made numerous changes to its defensive player personnel this offseason and it could affect the outcome against Castellanos.

So what do you think? Based on last year and the changes being made ahead of the 2025 season, can the Crimson Tide get off to a strong start on August 30 against one of its main weaknesses from 2024?

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