Five Alabama Football Players That Need to Step Up for 2026 Season

The 2026 Alabama football season is just a few months away as Kalen DeBoer looks to build on a trip to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals as he enters his third season with the Crimson Tide.

DeBoer knew what he was stepping into when he replaced legendary head coach Nick Saban and understands the level of expecation surrounding a place like Alabama. The Tide went 11-4 (7-1 SEC) last season with an appearance in the SEC championship game and a first-round CFP win.

There will be bigger goals and expectations for Alabama this season to advance even deeper into the CFP with a national title as the ultimate goal. Here are five players who will need to step up for the Crimson Tide in 2026 if it is going to reach that goal:

Jackson Lloyd

The offensive line is perhaps the position group with the most question marks around it entering the 2026 season. Michael Carroll is the only returning starter from a season ago, and he likely is not going to be playing the same position he played in 2025 as he makes the switch from right tackle to right guard.

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb showed his full confidence in Jackson Lloyd by naming him the starting left tackle early in spring camp. Lloyd will be replacing three-year starter and first-round pick Kadyn Proctor at the position.

He has the important job of protecting the new quarterback and helping to re-establish physicality in the run game. Going from limited in-game snaps in 2025 to the starter at a key position like left tackle in his redshirt freshman season is a big task, and Lloyd will have no choice but to step up if he wants to retain his job and play a role in Alabama's offensive success this season.

Daniel Hill

Alabama's run game has to be better in 2026. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Everyone outside the building knows it, and everyone inside the building understands it even more. The Crimson Tide finished 125th out of 136 FBS teams in rushing offense last season.

Leading rusher Jam Miller is off to the NFL, and Alabama brings back three running backs from last season's roster. Junior Daniel Hill is the most experienced of the three. He led the Tide in rushing touchdowns in 2025 with six. He had 75 carries for 284, which is less than four yards per carry.

He showed flashes of potential last season, like his 60-yard performance against Oklahoma. At 6-1, 236 pounds, Hill is, by far, the physically biggest running back on the Alabama roster.

Maybe Hill isn't the guy, but someone in the running back room will have to step up and have a better rushing performance than any Crimson Tide back put up last season. Alabama has got to have more balance offensively, especially while breaking in a new quarterback.

Bray Hubbard

Bray Hubbard doesn't have much to prove on the field this season. He will be entering his third season, second full, as a starter in the secondary. But where Hubbard will really need to step up is as a leader.

Alabama is replacing all four team captains from a season ago (Ty Simpson, Deontae Lawson, Tim Keenan and Parker Brailsford), and as a senior and four-year player with the Crimson Tide, there's a strong chance Hubbard will be chosen by his peers for the role in 2026.

Whether he officially gets dubbed a captain or not, Hubbard will be one of the faces of this team. Unlike some position groups, the secondary returns a lot of key pieces, including Hubbard, alongside guys ilke Zavier Mincey, Keon Sabb, Zabien Brown and Dijon Lee Jr.

The defensive backfield can set the tone for how dominant Alabama's defense can be with Hubbard leading the charge.

Caleb Woodson

It feels a little unfair to put the need to step up on a transfer who has yet to take an official snap in an Alabama uniform, but if anyone can handle that expectation, it seems to be Woodson. Early in spring camp, DeBoer said he saw Woodson as a "captain-type guy."

Inside linebacker is the only defensive position group without any returning starters, and Alabama got Woodson out of the portal from Virginia Tech to be a starter for the Crimson Tide this season. Woodson had 151 total tackles over three seasons with the Hokies and brings an experience level that is missing for Alabama's inside linebackers.

He will be filling the big shoes of two-time captain Deontae Lawson, who also wore Alabama's green dot coach-to-player helmet communication system for the defense. Woodson will be counted on to be the quarterback of the defense in 2026.

Starting Quarterback- TBD

3/5/25 MFB Spring Practice 2 Alabama Quarterback Ty Simpson (15) Alabama Quarterback Keelon Russell (12) Alabama Quarterback Austin Mack (10) | Photo by Kent Gidley

This one might be cheating a little bit, but in order for Alabama to be a legit national title contender, whoever wins the starting quarterback will have to step up and play at a high level. Whether it is Austin Mack or Keelon Russell, they will be facing immense pressure as the starting quarterback at a program like Alabama.

Ty Simpson played at Heisman-like levels at some points during last season and took Alabama has far as he could while batting multiple injuries towards the end of the season. Whoever wins the job will need help from all the players and position groups listed above, but there will be moments when he has to go out and win a game for the Tide.

Check out the previous stories in the offseason series...

Five Alabama Football Freshmen Poised To Contribute in the 2026 Season

Five Alabama Football Players Poised for a Breakout 2026 Season

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