The Biggest Question Surrounding Each Alabama Position Group at Fall Camp

Alabama football's fall camp is underway!

For the next couple of weeks, the Crimson Tide will settle position battles, finalize depth charts, experiment with packages and much more ahead of the 2026 season.

Regardless of how strenuous, every position group has some sort of obstacle it aims to resolve by the end of fall camp. Here's a look at the biggest question facing each position group ahead of Kalen DeBoer's third year as Alabama's head coach.

Quarterback: When will the Starter be Named?

Of course, the biggest storyline of the summer — or really the whole offseason — is who will win the quarterback battle between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb stressed in the spring that the competition is "pretty even," and DeBoer has previously said that a two-QB system is out of the question. It's going to take some time before the starter is named.

Mack and Russell each took a similar number of first-team reps in the spring, and the same will occur over the next couple of weeks. Ty Simpson was named the starter on Aug. 11, 2025, but this year's victor should be announced much closer to the season opener. Neither option has ever started a game, and while they have some similarities in their play styles, they differ in size, experience and athleticism. That said, poise is among the most important deciding factors for DeBoer, and it'll come out on the practice fields and during scrimmages.

Running Back: What Does the Rotation Look Like?

There's no need to sugarcoat that the run game was brutal last season, as Alabama finished 129th among 136 FBS teams in yards per game (92.6). Of course, run blocking played a massive role in the failure, and that'll be discussed more in the offensive line section below, but the running backs are held to a standard as well.

Daniel Hill is expected to be the lead back, as he split snaps with Jam Miller last year, but he didn't really show in 2025 that he's capable of being a three-down workhorse. Alabama has a lot of cooks in the running back kitchen, including hyped-up freshman EJ Crowell, Kevin Riley, AK Dear, Trae’shawn Brown and Khalifa Keith. Of course, not all six can play every game, so the Crimson Tide must find the right 2-3 to mix into each contest and consistently move the ball forward.

Wide Receiver: How will Ryan Coleman-Williams Rebound?

After a sensational freshman year that made him a national prodigy and put him on the cover of a renowned video game franchise, Coleman-Williams' numbers were down across the board, and he had several drops to go along with it. He said during the 2025 season that the drops were a mental issue and not a physical one.

Nevertheless, DeBoer has mentioned throughout the offseason how consistent his wide receiver has become, and the 19-year-old himself has previously discussed his new role as a leader heading into Year 3. Coleman-Williams is not only expected to be the face of the Crimson Tide, but he's also being held to an All-SEC, All-American and 2027 NFL Draft first-rounder standard. A lot is riding on his shoulders, but can he get the job done?

Tight End: Will Kaleb Edwards Follow in Josh Cuevas' Footsteps?

Before and after former Alabama tight end Josh Cuevas sustained a foot injury that sidelined him for a couple of games in 2025, he was the starter and earned far more snaps than Edwards. But Cuevas' collegiate eligibility has expired (he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens) and the tight end position is Edwards' to lose.

Edwards was selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team last season after logging 11 receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown. This includes his six catches and 80 yards during the three-game stretch without Cuevas. Cuevas' 37 receptions last year were the most since Irv Smith Jr.'s 44 in 2018. Cuevas was a key leader in the room and Edwards, who told BamaCentral in January that he models his game after seven-time Pro Bowler George Kittle, has big shoes to fill as a sophomore.

Offensive Line: How Will Adrian Klemm Fix the Run Game?

The Crimson Tide's front five had expectations to be a Joe Moore Award-caliber unit last year, but as previously stated, run blocking struggles spread like wildfire and it resulted in numerous in-game substitutions and also the firing of offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic after two years at UA and replacing him with USC defensive analyst Adrian Klemm.

Sophomore Michael Carroll, the lone remaining starter from last season, will all but certainly start at right guard rather than right tackle. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said on March 12 that sophomore Jackson Lloyd will start at left tackle, while Cal Poly transfer Racin Delgatty should be the center.

But the left guard and right tackle spots are up for grabs, with Will Sanders and Mississippi State transfer Jayvin James as the frontrunners entering fall camp. That said, linemen like Mal Waldrep Jr. and transfers Ethan Fields and Nick Brooks are among those also in the running to build a unit that will fix the run game and protect a new quarterback.

Defensive Line: Can the New-Look Trio Perfectly Mesh?

DL coach Freddie Roach, Alabama's longest-tenured assistant, who has held his current position in Tuscaloosa since 2020, has some work to do. The Crimson Tide has been on a bit of a downward spike in the sacks-per-game department over the last couple of years, as it was inside the top-4 of the SEC from 2020-23, but it was tied for 14th in 2024 and eighth last season.

Roach will have a fresh start, as all of the starters and most of the reserves from last season are no longer at Alabama. This unit seems to have its starting trio locked in with USC transfer Devan Thompkins at Bandit (defensive end), Oregon transfer Terrance Green at nose tackle and returning sophomore London Simmons at defensive tackle.

Simmons has high expectations this fall after earning All-SEC Freshman honors in 2025 and he'll need to find a way to mesh well with these two experienced transfers to get Alabama's defensive line back on track.

Linebacker: Is this the Year QB Reese Breaks Out?

Reese is hoping the third year is the charm to dominate for the Crimson Tide. The linebacker was somewhat of a breakout candidate entering 2025, but he finished with six tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery while appearing in all 15 contests. Reese only appeared in five games in 2024 after redshirting as a freshman.

That said, the linebacker unit will look completely different, as last year's starters Justin Jefferson (drafted in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns), Deontae Lawson and Nikhai Hill-Green each exhausted their eligibility. Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson will take one of the spots and should wear the green dot, but Reese's experience at UA makes him a very strong candidate for one of the other vacancies, however, he'll have to earn the job against the likes of Luke Metz and Cayden Jones.

Defensive Back: How Does the Unit Become the Best in the Nation?

Alabama's secondary really can't improve much more. 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. A trio of these players earned spots on the three Preseason All-SEC Teams and the other two have a good chance at making the prestigious postseason rosters.

Sabb said in the spring that the Tide has the best secondary in the country, and he might be right. They're set at every position and even have a plethora of talented depth options like Carmelo O'Neal, Ivan Taylor, Zavier Mincey, Chuck McDonald III, Jireh Edwards, Jorden Edmonds and more.

But former Alabama head coach Nick Saban emphasized at SEC Media Days in Tampa that he wants to see more man-to-man with this unit rather than an abundance of zone coverage. If you want to be known as the best secondary in the nation, sticking like glue to SEC wide receivers in one-on-one situations will help defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist's case.

Special Teams: Who will Win the Kicker Battle?

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 over the next couple of weeks.

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