What Does Success Look Like for Alabama in 2025? Just a Minute

Kalen DeBoer's first season as head coach saw the Tide finish with a 9-4 record. How much does Alabama need to improve for this season to be a success?

Nov 16, 2024; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer during the game against the Mercer Bears at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images / Gary Cosby Jr- USA Today Network via Imagn Images

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

Watch the above video as BamaCentral's recruiting writer, Mason Woods, as well as beat writers Joe Gaither and Will Miller discuss what a successful season looks like for the Crimson Tide in 2025.

Alabama football reached its highest peak as a program since the Bryant era under Nick Saban. After the legendary coach retired following the 2023 season, many were left wondering who would take over for one of the top college football teams in the nation.

In steps South Dakota native Kalen DeBoer, fresh off a national championship appearance with the Washington Huskies. Despite losing six commitments from the 2024 class after Saban's announcement, DeBoer and the revamped coaching staff managed to pull together the No. 2 ranked class in the nation.

While the off-field results were promising early, Alabama's performance in the 2024 season left a lot to be desired for some. The Tide finished 9-4 with uninspiring losses to Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Michigan, and missed out on a chance at the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

Once again, DeBoer and the staff have secured one of the most impressive recruiting classes in the nation as the Tide heads into the fall, so the question must be posed: What does a successful season look like?

Success in 2025 begins with, at minimum, an appearance in the College Football Playoff, but is much more likely hinged on winning at least one game there.

While fans of many other programs may have viewed last season's 9-4 record as a success, Crimson Tide fans simply did not. DeBoer, if he wants to buy some credence with Alabama fans, will have to ensure the Tide does not lose in the same fashion as 2024.

The good news is that Alabama has an excellent opportunity to do exactly that. With another offseason of acclimating to new systems on both sides of the ball, the Crimson Tide's offense and defense should be improved.

Alabama was also active in the transfer portal this offseason, landing one of the top wide receiver prospects in the nation in Isaiah Horton.

Though the Tide's schedule is full of potential pitfalls, DeBoer and the staff look to have assembled an improved roster over last season and appear primed for a successful year.

2025 Alabama Football Schedule

• Week 1 (Aug. 30): at Florida State Seminoles
• Week 2 (Sept. 6): vs. Louisiana Monroe Warhawks
• Week 3 (Sept. 13): vs. Wisconsin Badgers
• Week 4 (Sept. 20): OPEN
• Week 5 (Sept. 27): at Georgia Bulldogs
• Week 6 (Oct. 4): vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
• Week 7 (Oct. 11): at Missouri Tigers
• Week 8 (Oct. 18): vs. Tennessee Volunteers
• Week 9 (Oct. 25): at South Carolina Gamecocks
• Week 10 (Nov. 1): OPEN
• Week 11 (Nov. 8): vs. LSU Tigers
• Week 12: (Nov. 15): vs. Oklahoma Sooners
• Week 13 (Nov. 22): vs. Eastern Illinois Panthers
• Week 14 (Nov. 29): at Auburn Tigers

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