Grading the First Half of Alabama's Season

We've officially hit the halfway point of the regular season. Six games down, six to go.

Here’s how I see Alabama through the first half: grades for every position group, a grade for the coaching staff, a handful of superlatives, and, at the end, an overall grade for Kalen DeBoer’s team and where it stands nationally.

NOTE — Grades are based on performance, not expectations. The goal is to grade as objectively as possible, so a unit doesn’t get a better mark for exceeding what was expected of it, or a worse one for falling short. I'll still make mention of it when a group has done either.

Quarterback: A

Keelon Russell has been special. There's no other way to put it. He's as polished as you could possibly hope someone who's only started six career games to be. There are regular flashes of brilliance from the sophomore, and he's already compiled a highlight reel that would put many of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft class to shame.

The improvement he's shown week to week has been incredible. He's gotten markedly better at taking yardage when it's available (plenty of work still to do), and he's stopped taking unnecessary hits. The Georgia game will prove to be another teaching moment — the third-down sack he took in the final minutes on the heels of the Rico Scott pass interference no-call was unacceptable there, as it knocked Alabama out of field goal range.

His confidence moving in and out of the pocket is one of his best traits. It is ridiculously hard to sack Russell. If one defender gets home, he simply finds the escape route. Russell will, barring injury, end up on the Mount Rushmore of Alabama quarterbacks, and he could very well become the second Crimson Tide QB to bring home the Heisman.

Running Backs: B+

Alabama's historically awful 2025 run game feels like a distant memory. True freshmen EJ Crowell and Trae'Shawn Brown have transformed the room, ripping off explosives left and right while combining for nine touchdowns through six games.

Daniel Hill has made marginal yet significant improvements from last year. He may never be a star SEC back, but he looks faster on the field, and his vision has taken a step forward. He's also the best of the three in pass protection, for now. If Brown and Crowell can catch up to him this year, one or both of them will likely move into a lead-back role. But Hill does deserve his flowers for the time he has bought Russell in the pocket. He's physical, understands leverage, and has routinely lit up pass rushers.

AK Dear may have been Wally Pipped. He still is likely not quite at 100% after missing the first three games of the season, but it's hard to say what kind of role exists for him at this point. That's a very good problem for this team to have, as, six weeks ago, we were questioning if the run game could avoid dysfunction without him.

Wide Receivers: A-

Ryan Coleman-Williams has been gutsy. He'll be inactive against Tennessee, and maybe miss a game or two after that, but he has, in my opinion, played the best football of his career over the past four weeks. I expect viewers to get an even clearer view of Coleman-Williams' value with him sidelined when they see how much harder it is for the rest of the pass-catchers to get open without the coverage he draws.

But the receiving corps won't entirely fall apart without him. Lotzeir Brooks has been a near-perfect WR2, Rico Scott has already surpassed his prior career totals through six weeks (while also being an elite blocker), and I'm excited to see Derek Meadows and Cederian Morgan on the field more in Knoxville.

Noah Rogers is still working his way into the mix, and Coleman-Williams' absence may be just what he needs to spark production. Russell has had no shortage of weapons to distribute the ball to.

Tight Ends: A+

These guys have been incredible.

Ryan Grubb has made 13 personnel a staple of this offense, and it's paying dividends. Josh Ford is the heart and soul of the unit, and his willingness to play with a broken arm last week says everything about what the room is. This is my single favorite group to watch in action; the physicality they play with on every single snap is ridiculous. Jay Lindsey and Danny Lewis Jr. have been just as aggressive as Ford, Kaleb Edwards is playing up to his 6-foot-6, 264-pound frame, and Marshall Pritchett is impressing as the leading receiver.

I analyzed the unit in my film breakdown of Alabama's 56-23 win over Mississippi State. The highlights — from Ford's one-handed snag, to the constant stream of clips of defenders getting demolished, to Pritchett's hurdle — are incredible. Richard Owens deserves a ton of credit for how great these tight ends have been.

Offensive Line: B

It's not factored into the grade here, as previously mentioned, but Adrian Klemm's unit has absolutely exceeded expectations. It hasn't held back the offense in the way I expected entering the year. Jackson Lloyd is a unit at left tackle. Michael Carroll's commitment to playing right guard has been at the center of Alabama's run-game improvement. William Sanders has settled in at left guard after a slow start, and Jayvin James is more than competent at right tackle.

We're still awaiting news on Racin Delgatty, who suffered a lower extremity injury against Georgia. I do expect him to miss an extended period of time, and Mal Waldrep will start in his stead. Waldrep was up and down over the first two games of the season, and the group takes a clear step back without Delgatty, for however long he is out. We'll see how detrimental it proves.

It's also worth noting that Russell does make this line look a little better with his ability to survive and escape the pocket, but, all in all, an impressive start for Klemm's guys.

Interior Defensive Line: B-

Alabama needs Terrance Green. There may not be a single position on the team, outside of quarterback (obviously), whose success hinges on any one player as much as the interior line hinges on Green. We saw it against Georgia. Dwight Phillips and Bo Walker hit a new level when Green exited the game after reaggravating a leg injury, as the Bulldogs ran for 157 second-half yards. If he is unable to go this weekend, we'll probably see it again, as Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop's life gets a lot easier.

London Simmons and Kedrick Bingley-Jones are competent players and have proven effective when playing alongside Green, but can they compete against an elite line without him? Probably not.

As long as Green is healthy long-term, Alabama should continue to be effective at stopping the run. Kane Wommack's vision in adding size and physicality up front has worked out thus far despite the hiccups against an elite Georgia line.

Edge Rushers: B+

A week ago, I thought I'd be putting an "A" next to this group. One sack against Georgia dampened my outlook significantly. Yes, the Bulldogs' line was great, yes, Gunner Stockton is lethal at getting the ball out fast, but it was a concerning performance.

Yhonzae Pierre needs to get home more. I predicted he would hit 12.5 sacks this season, good for fourth on the Crimson Tide single-season leaderboard, and he's recorded just 2.5 through six games. He's far more effective on a down-to-down basis compared to last year, and his presence has helped out the rest of the defense significantly, but we've got to see more game-wrecking moments from him.

Devan Thompkins has been a stud, and the room will improve when Justin Hill and Desmond Umeozulu return. The term "edge rusher" is blurred on Wommack's defense, given how versatile his players are and how much they move around the field, but Xavier Griffin has stood out so far, and his role will only increase as the season progresses.

I expect the pass rush to improve down the stretch.

Inside Linebackers: B+

I strongly considered an "A-" here. Caleb Woodson and Luke Metz have been two of the most impressive players on the team. For a group that had so many questions entering the season (Woodson was the only player to have started a game before), these guys have been as solid as anyone on the defense.

Metz is a human missile. He's laid some brutal hits on opposing players, and is often the most vocal player on the field. Woodson leads the team with 18 solo tackles and has been arguably the most consistent player on the roster.

There were some run fit struggles against Georgia, but I'm really splitting hairs here. Chuck Morrell has a solid, reliable duo.

Secondary: B

This was supposed to be an "A+." I thought Alabama would have the single best secondary in the nation this year. The unit has not played up to its potential, and it all starts with Dijon Lee.

I have more on Lee below, but the fact of the matter is that he has been downright bad in man coverage and is at risk of losing his job if things don't turn around soon. With his level of play in mind, the Crimson Tide currently only has two elite players in this defensive back room: Zabien Brown and Bray Hubbard. Even Hubbard hasn't quite been as dominant and polished down-to-down as one might have hoped entering his third year as a starter. He still manages to produce the game-changing plays consistently, though, which is a theme across the room.

Keon Sabb is the same player he was last year. He gets the job done, but will not be confused for a star anytime soon. Red Morgan has been as advertised at husky, and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. and Ivan Taylor have taken clear steps forward. The depth in the room is great, but if it doesn't turn into five great players on the field at all times, how much does it matter?

Special Teams: A-

Conor Talty hasn't missed a kick all year, and Alex Asparuhov has been a competent punter. There have been no real operational issues on the field goal team, and punt and kickoff coverage have been solid. Jay Nunez's players have done just about all you can ask them, too, and they get additional points for stopping Kentucky's fake punt attempt in Week 2.

Lee muffed a punt against Mississippi State, the only real blunder of the season. Ryan Coleman-Williams' time as a returner is likely done with his injuries, but there is no shortage of players to throw back there.

Coaching: B

This was tough. We'll keep it to DeBoer, Grubb and Wommack for simplicity's sake, but there's still a lot to unravel.

Grubb's playcalling is never going to satisfy everyone. I've loved his usage of 13 personnel, and I especially loved the explosive to Edwards against Mississippi State that came out of it. The "boo bird" fiasco was overblown, yet entirely self-inflicted by Grubb, and slow starts have been less of a problem the past three weeks with the early touchdowns against South Carolina and Mississippi State and a promising opening drive against Georgia that was ended prematurely by a Russell fumble.

As the offense continues to gel, his job gets easier. The biggest domino yet to fall is the projected pass protection improvement from Brown and Crowell. If Grubb can keep his two best runners on the field more, the offense takes a significant step forward.

Wommack has been a mixed bag. He has said that this defense is the most versatile he's had in his three years in Tuscaloosa, and his usage of Griffin and Jireh Edwards should reap benefits as the two freshmen develop. Sometimes it feels like he tries to be too smart for his own good, like when he dropped eight into coverage on a third-and-four against Georgia, but Pierre missed his assignment in the flat, and Georgia got a free first down. You have to coach within the confines of your players, and while Wommack has a ton to work with, he runs the risk of sacrificing ability for creativity.

Many of the issues in the secondary also fall on him. For as much as Lee has struggled in press man, Wommack continues to put him there. Carmelo O'Neal was solid against Georgia, playing most of the snaps after Lee committed a third-down pass interference penalty. So why was Lee even on the field when he committed the game-sealing unsportsmanlike conduct penalty?

I think Wommack is an excellent coordinator, but he has to find the solution in this secondary. He also has to figure out how to get stops on third down, as Florida State and Georgia both feasted on those crucial plays.

DeBoer has been great. He's made statements each of the last two weeks, first with Alabama's decimation of Mississippi State, continuing his historic rate of success against top-25 teams on the road, and then with the fire he showed on the sidelines in the fourth quarter against Georgia, where he tore into Lee after his penalty. Fans have wanted to see the Nick Saban-esque intensity from DeBoer, and they got it.

DeBoer has suffered bad losses in each of his first two seasons (Vanderbilt and Oklahoma in 2024, Florida State in 2025). There are plenty of opportunities left for it to come this year, but he's avoided it thus far, and he has his team right where it needs to be.

Superlatives

MVP: Keelon Russell

Russell has been one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. He's completed 68% of his passes and is averaging 267 yards and two passing touchdowns per game. There is a feeling that something special can happen every time Russell takes a snap, a feeling that he's created not through recklessness (he hasn't thrown an interception in 18 quarters), but through sheer electricity. No throw is out of his range, no pocket is too collapsed, no play too broken for him to salvage it.

Russell has added 255 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, and the fact that he now almost always slides means he's encouraged to scramble whenever the opportunity presents itself.

There was no other pick here.

Most Improved: Conor Talty

Talty is the best story on the team. He's a perfect 9-for-9 on field goals and a 31-for-31 on extra points. He admittedly hasn't had to attempt the most difficult of kicks — his long is 45 yards, and he's attempted just three on the road (although he made one in Starkville that was erased by a penalty). He likely won't have enough volume to be in contention for the Lou Groza Award, but the fact that we can even recognize Talty as a potential candidate is a testament to his turnaround. Alabama has a level of confidence in Talty that didn't seem possible last year.

Most Underwhelming: Dijon Lee

Lee's struggles culminated with his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of the loss to Georgia, but go far deeper. As previously stated, he's had a rough go of things in press man coverage. His instincts have seemingly taken a step back. He can't locate the ball, he's committed multiple penalties, and, across the board, it has been a disastrous start to the season.

Wommack implied that O'Neal will take some more of his reps this weekend in Knoxville. In many ways, Lee's situation is comparable to Talty's last year — weeks of poor play that led to a public fallout that generated national buzz. His teammates have already come to his defense, and he's more than talented enough to turn this around and create a great redemption story.

For more on Lee, check out my film breakdown from Alabama's 20-17 loss to Georgia, where I highlight much of his performance.

Offensive Freshman: Trae'Shawn Brown

What would your reaction have been if someone had told you ten months ago that a three-star running back from Huntsville, Texas, whose best offer was from Boise State, would be leading Alabama in yards and touchdowns halfway through the 2026 season?

Brown is averaging 5.9 yards per carry and has more rushes than Hill and Crowell combined over the past two games. He's not the feature back yet, but he's getting real close.

Defensive Freshman: Xavier Griffin

Griffin's coming-out party came two weeks ago in Starkville, where he led the team with nine tackles, while also recording a sack and tackle for loss. He's excelled as a QB spy and delayed rusher, but his youth and inexperience kept him off the field at times early. He's too talented for his role not to increase in the second half of this season, and I expect him to be named a Freshman All-American at the season's end.

Offensive Transfer: Racin Delgatty (Cal Poly)

As mentioned above, we're still waiting to hear about Delgatty's injury. Regardless of whether he plays another snap for the Crimson Tide, his first half of the season was very solid. He's tough, he's gritty, he is exactly what Alabama was hoping he'd be. His agility and lateral movement have been invaluable and will be hard to replace. Delgatty was thrown right into the fire, and he's thrived in it.

Defensive Transfer: Devan Thompkins (USC)

Alabama paid a premium to land Thompkins in the portal, and it paid off. He leads the team with three sacks, matching his total from 2025. He was one of the many players on the defensive front who underwhelmed against Georgia, but the good outweighs the bad by a significant margin. He's a matchup nightmare, he's violent, and he creates a 1-2 punch with Pierre that the Crimson Tide hasn't had the past few years.

Caleb Woodson (Virginia Tech) and Terrance Green (Oregon) both had strong cases to get the nod. All three have been that crucial to the defense's success.

Glue Guy: Josh Ford

It's been talked about ad nauseam at this point — I don't care. Ford played with a broken arm.

A BROKEN ARM.

That's as "glue" as it gets. I used Robbie Ouzts as the comparison for Ford entering the season, and, no disrespect at all to Ouzts, who was an integral piece of Alabama's 2024 offense, but Ford is more impactful. He directly caused Dylan Stewart, a potential top-10 draft pick, to have the biggest meltdown of the season. Alabama's tight ends are, in many ways, the lifeblood of the offense, and Ford is at the center of it all. End of story.

Overall Grade: A-

Alabama is 5-1. Repeat that over the second half of the season, and the Crimson Tide is back in the College Football Playoff.

That is the framework I entered the season under, yet it feels lazy now. Not all 5-1's are created equal, and the flashes that the Crimson Tide has shown through six games have impressed me enough to throw most of my preseason conceptions out the window.

The offense has scored at least 45 points in every game not played against the No. 1 team in the nation. The difference in the run game from last year is night and day. The offensive line held its own against Georgia's front, the tight ends are stalwarts, there are playmakers all over the field on both sides of the ball, the defensive transfers have worked out and sparked a new identity for Wommack's unit, and the special teams issues from last year seem to be in the rearview.

Making the playoff is no longer an aspiration. It's a requirement. Anything less would be a colossal letdown for a team that very clearly belongs there. In fact, it belongs in national championship talks. Not because it is a perfect roster, not because there aren't any serious problems that need to be fixed, but because the sum of the parts on this team create a group that can compete with anybody.

It all starts in Knoxville, where Alabama has lost two straight games. Tennessee is good, the atmosphere is going to be as hostile as the team will see all year, and it shouldn't matter. If these takeaways are correct, the Crimson Tide will walk into Neyland on Saturday and make a statement that sets the tone for a second half of the season that leaves no doubt about the team's standing.

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