Live Updates: Alabama Coaches Press Conferences Ahead of Tennessee

Follow along for updates from Monday's press conferences with Kalen DeBoer, Kane Wommack and Ryan Grubb.

Oct 11, 2025; Columbia, MO; USA; Alabama Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer watches from the sideline in the first quarter against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI | Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama football won its second SEC road game at Missouri on Saturday. defeating its third straight ranked foe, and up next is a fourth: No. 11 Tennessee, at Bryant-Denny Stadium this weekend. The No. 6 Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC) defeated the Tigers 27-24.

The win over Missouri wasn't without drama. Even so, the Crimson Tide managed to hold on. The Volunteers defeated Alabama last October, making this Saturday's game the second of the Crimson Tide's 2025 schedule against a team that won over it in 2024.

Kalen DeBoer, Ryan Grubb and Kane Wommack are scheduled to take the podium at 11:30 a.m. CT (starting with the coordinators). Full transcripts, as well as video from the press conferences, will be published on BamaCentral.

Live Updates:

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Kalen DeBoer:

• DeBoer said it's important to be mindful of the toll a tough schedule takes on a team, but "the pedal is down" for Alabama right now.

• After three straight ranked wins, DeBoer says it's been a fight. "They've done a great job of taking whatever it is that is against us... and taking that energy and just pouring it into what matters most." He added he's proud of his players for not falling off the standard.

• DeBoer says Keon Keeley has done a good job being patient. "There's reasons that have kept him from getting on the football field that he just continues to work on." He anticipates Keeley continuing to build each week and says he's really proud of Keeley.

• On what separates Bryant-Denny Stadium from his other stops: "It's the feeling you even have with the walk into the stadium... We'd better make sure we uphold our end of the bargain too." He called Tuscaloosa a great environment and said it's huge to have the energy at home.

• DeBoer said the Crimson Tide players are looking to solve problems while having high energy and not being timid.

• On Kadyn Proctor's direct-snap play: "Ryan Grubb and our offensive staff, doing a great job... We're using it in big moments." Adds that it's not an exhibition and there's a positive in how Proctor can gain yardage in critical moments.

• DeBoer says Ty Simpson "can see the big picture" and knows what he wants to do. With regard to protection checks, he adds the quarterback will take accountability for those things.

• Alabama wideout Jalen Hale has been sick, which is why he was on last week's availability report. Jaylen Mbakwe suffered a hand injury in practice last week but will practice this week. Jam Miller and Derek Meadows are both going through concussion protocol. Linebacker Cayden Jones had ankle surgery and will be "down for a while."

• DeBoer says he understands how big of a game this is. "Coach Heupel, nothing but the utmost respect for him... Great football mind, you can see it on the football field." Adds that Alabama needs its fans extremely loud.

• "We took a lot of things Missouri did well and flipped the script on that," DeBoer says. "That's team football right there."

• "Proud of the fight of these guys," is how Kalen DeBoer's press conference begins. He goes on to praise his group's resilience and hard work and building trust along with good habits. He added that the last few weeks have been some of the best team football he's been around.

Kane Wommack:

• On Keon Keeley, Wommack says he knows the Crimson Tide's fanbase has been waiting on him to play a factor, and adds that Keeley now has a role and has taken continued steps in the right direction.

• On what putting the game away actually looks like, Wommack says it comes down to playing each snap with great eye progression and fundamentals over and over again, and he blamed many of the times the defense has given up big plays on things the defensive unit (and himself) can correct.

• Wommack: "Doing your job is what we're all measured by." He includes himself under the umbrella of that statement.

• Wommack joked with one of the reporters present that he could stop by his office to discuss ideas for coverage.

• On the snap differential between Domani Jackson and Dijon Lee Jr. at cornerback, Wommack said Lee was playing at a very efficient level against Missouri and he's on "a very good trajectory right now."

• Wommack said he has tremendous respect for Tennessee's coaching staff and the disciplined players that make up a physical football team.

• "I do think we were able to affect the quarterback last week," Wommack said. "We had five opportunities to create takeaways but only came away with two of them."

• Wommack says there is a lot of fight in the Alabama players that has developed over the course of the season, compared to last year as well. "It's helping us respond to adversity." One area of growth he still wants to see is in putting teams away and says the start was unacceptable.

Ryan Grubb:

• Regarding the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry, Grubb says he's still figuring out the rivalries, but that he loves the SEC rivalries and playing "tough ranked teams." He looks forward to the atmosphere in Tuscaloosa this weekend.

• On the balance between Carroll and Wilkin Formby, Grubb says consistency is the biggest thing at the right-tackle spot.

• Ty Simpson has been working hard at throwing accurately on the run, per Grubb. He added that running back Daniel Hill has been dinged up throughout the first part of the year, but says the coaching staff was very optimistic about the sophomore coming out of spring football.

• On Michael Carroll, Grubb says he takes accountability and that there is evident growth in Carroll's development towards being an every-down player.

• "Any quarterback, Ty's no exception, the more experience the better," on Ty Simpson's response to blitzes. He adds quarterbacks can get used to facing pressure in camp and says Simpson has improved even since the Florida State game and that big-time quarterbacks can make throws like Simpson made against Missouri. "There's a couple he could have gotten out of his hand."

• On whether the team left money on the table: "I'm gonna temper my response there." He says the most important thing is that the players understand that.

• Grubb says discussion between himself and Kalen DeBoer about whether to go for it on fourth-down plays happens well before the play. He adds there isn't much deliberation unless they're out of play calls.