Five Alabama Position Battles to Watch Entering Fall Camp

Alabama football's fall camp begins Wednesday, and there's a lot on head coach Kalen DeBoer and company's plate.

There are position battles in every phase of the game for the Crimson Tide ahead of the 2026 season, and fall camp will help determine the victors and the order of the depth chart. Here are five competitions to watch entering fall camp.

Starting Quarterback

We'll start with the obvious one. Alabama's 2026 quarterback battle was being debated even when last season was in full swing. But Ty Simpson is in the NFL now, and senior Austin Mack is going head-to-head with sophomore Keelon Russell in a competition for the ages.

DeBoer, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and quarterbacks coach Bryan Ellis have a lot on their plate with this competition, and the head coach mentioned in July that a two-quarterback system is out of the question. Neither option has ever started a game, and while they have some similarities in their play styles, they differ in size, experience and athleticism. Both were at Alabama last year, as Mack served as the primary backup while Russell was the third-string as a freshman.

Grubb said in March that the battle is "pretty even," and DeBoer seemed to continue that narrative at SEC Media Days. Simpson was named the starter on Aug. 11, 2025, and the victor of this year's battle will very likely be announced much closer to the opener against East Carolina. The college football world has its eyes fixed on Tuscaloosa's quarterback competition, but will the ultimate winner be the one with more experience or the one with more hype from his illustrious high school career?

Running Back Depth Chart

There's no need to sugarcoat that Alabama's run game last year was egregious, finishing 129th among 136 FBS teams in yards per game (92.6). Of course, the offensive line's run blocking played a role, but the Crimson Tide has revamped its front five with a new coach in Adrian Klemm and a new starting group that will likely look like this: left tackle Jackson Lloyd, left guard Will Sanders, center Racin Delgatty, right guard Michael Carroll and right tackle Jayvin James.

The only way for Alabama's run game to go is up, and while the offensive line might have what it takes to do its part, the running backs are just as important. Except, the depth chart looks a little funny, as not one spot is completely set in stone. Junior Daniel Hill will very likely be the starter after splitting snaps with Jam Miller last season, but sophomore AK Dear, junior Kevin Riley and freshman EJ Crowell could also make some noise.

Crowell is perhaps the most-hyped newcomer on Alabama's roster, as the former five-star in-state prospect looks to carve out a role immediately. That said, we didn't get to see him play on A-Day, as he was using a scooter with a boot on his leg. The aforementioned running backs saw more snaps and the same is said for fellow freshman Trae'shawn Brown, who logged 50 receiving yards and 19 rushing yards.

All of these running backs, plus senior transfer Khalifa Keith, will look to make a name for themselves during fall camp and move up on the depth chart, but when will a set order be established?

Third Starting Wide Receiver

Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks will all but certainly be two of Alabama's starting wide receivers. NC State transfer Noah Rogers was expected to be the third starter, however, he sustained an injury during A-Day and his recovery will bleed into the season. So, fall camp could provide the answer for who will start in Rogers' place, and it's between three candidates.

Rico Scott is perhaps the most likely of the bunch due to the junior's experience in DeBoer's system. Scott had a ton of hype ahead of the 2025 season after standing out in the summer due to his team-best sprinting speed of 23.4 miles per hour, but even after an impressive performance against Florida State, he'd be replaced by Brooks as the WR4. Scott initially planned to enter the transfer portal in January, but then decided to return to UA with hopes of an increased role.

For the second consecutive year, sophomore Derek Meadows is Alabama's tallest wide receiver, standing at 6-foot-5. He's a WR3 candidate because of his large catch radius and the advantages that come with it in the red zone and jump balls. Additionally, he had by far the most targets at A-Day with nine, resulting in five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.

6-foot-4 freshman Cederian Morgan also had a couple of wild plays at A-Day, including a touchdown near the corner of the end zone and a 40-yard catch-and-run — the longest gain by any player. Coleman-Williams shared that Morgan's nickname is "The Gulf of Mexico" because, "You throw it in there, he's going to catch it. He's got plenty of space."

Primary Backups in the Secondary

If there's any position group that's set in stone, it's the secondary. Zabien Brown and Dijon Lee Jr. will be the cornerbacks, Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard will take the safety spots and Red Morgan is very likely to start at the Husky position. Sabb said in the spring that the Tide has the best secondary in the country, and he might be right. But if one of them underperforms or sustains an injury, does Alabama have a certain order of players off the bench ready to go?

Fall camp will play a big role in determining the primary backups for the aforementioned defensive backups, but who will they be? Well, sophomore Chuck McDonald III and Mercer transfer Carmelo O'Neal could be the top choices. That said, freshman Jorden Edmonds looked the part at A-Day with three tackles and two pass breakups.

Sabb and Hubbard are among the most irreplaceable safeties in all of college football, but Alabama should have the depth to help. Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. was arrested on Nov. 2, 2025, and DeBoer suspended him for the remainder of the year. Nevertheless, he returned to practice in the spring and is a top primary backup candidate. Ivan Taylor has had a good bit of hype around him this offseason, as he's "stepped up a lot," and the sophomore should also be high on the depth chart.

Morgan's versatility could see him being utilized at Husky, safety and cornerback, meaning his main spot could be vacant more often than the other starters in the secondary. Zavier Mincey could be the top choice to fill in for Morgan due to the junior's experience, but like Rico Scott, his breakout expectations didn't come to fruition last season. Freshman Jireh Edwards should compete with Mincey for the No. 2 Husky spot, as the former five-star prospect earned the approval of Zabien Brown in the spring.

Starting Kicker

Conor Talty was one of the top-three kickers in the class of 2023, but he had to wait his turn at Alabama. First, he sat behind Alabama record-holder Will Reichard in his final year and then former Lou Groza winner Graham Nicholson in 2024. Talty secured the starting job last season, making 16 of 23 field goals and all 48 extra point attempts. He had a bad stretch in the last third of the regular season where he missed a field goal in three straight games, but he finished the year with five straight makes.

Originally from Ireland, Lorcan Quinn started his collegiate career at Marshall last season, where he went 21 of 26 on field goals, earning First Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors. Four of those made field goals were longer than 50 yards, with a long of 55. Quinn, who played five years of Gaelic football before moving to the United States, hit not one, but two 47-yard field goals at A-Day, providing DeBoer and special teams coordinator Jay Nunez with a tough decision to make ahead of fall camp.

To find out more about Alabama's position battles and the 2026 roster, BamaCentral has written a preview for every position. Here's an in-depth look at each of them.

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