Greg McElroy Names SEC Powerhouse With National Championship Ceiling but Major Concerns

A brutal Rose Bowl exit exposed what the win total was hiding in Tuscaloosa, and now a new quarterback and a rebuilt front decide whether the ceiling matters at all

ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy doesn't see the Alabama Crimson Tide's offense getting much better in 2026. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Alabama football does not usually show up on lists of teams with question marks. That is what made Greg McElroy's take on his Always College Football podcast worth sitting with.

The former Crimson Tide quarterback put Alabama in a group he described as having a championship ceiling but a floor that is a little less certain, and the reason comes down to a new signal-caller, a rebuilt offensive line and a run game that fell apart last year. The talent is stacked, especially on defense.

Whether Kalen DeBoer's roster answers a couple of very specific questions is the whole season.

Greg McElroy breaks down Alabama's 2026 unknowns

McElroy called Alabama one of the strangest rankings on his entire board. Not because the Crimson Tide are bad, but because oddsmakers slotted them third in their own league and some thought that was generous. He walked through a 2025 season that looked great on paper. Alabama reeled off eight straight wins after a home-opener loss to Florida State, beat four ranked teams in four straight weeks with no bye and snapped Georgia's 33-game home winning streak.

Then Indiana physically dismantled the Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal, Alabama's worst loss in nearly 30 years. That result exposed what the record was hiding.

Alabama was one-dimensional on offense. McElroy pointed to the run game as the core problem. The Crimson Tide averaged 104 rushing yards a game, which ranked 125th in the country, and finished with negative-3 rushing yards in the SEC Championship loss to Georgia.

The quarterback picture is unsettled too. Ty Simpson threw for 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns before leaving for the NFL, and the job is now an open competition between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell. McElroy sees a path to the starting lineup for both.

"I would be surprised if Austin Mack didn't get a real long look, because the staff really trusts him," he said, while adding that Russell is the five-star with the higher ceiling.

His bottom line was that the secondary is elite, headlined by All-American safety Bray Hubbard, who appeared at No. 16 on my list of college football's most important players, and cornerback Zabien Brown, but the offense has to settle the quarterback and fix the run before Alabama contends again.

Expectations for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2026

DeBoer has spent the offseason attacking the exact problems McElroy flagged. At SEC Media Days, he made the run game a stated priority.

"We want to be able to run the football better," DeBoer said. "That's something that we've addressed and stressed within our team." The overhaul was drastic as Alabama fired offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, hired Adrian Klemm and rebuilt the front almost entirely.

Sophomore Michael Carroll is the only returning starter after 11 players left the room, replaced by six transfers, a junior college addition and four freshmen. McElroy's logic tracks here. An underwhelming line that imports this much new talent has a hard time getting worse.

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell (12) runs the ball during the Alabama A-Day spring football scrimmage game at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The quarterback battle stayed close deep into the summer. DeBoer told reporters he trusts the group but has leaned on one intangible above arm talent.

"The poise to lead, the poise in the big moments," he said. "That's hard for the guys that haven't taken the valuable snaps that these guys haven't had a chance to have."

Mack, a redshirt junior who followed DeBoer from Washington, offers experience and a firmer grasp of the system. Russell, the former No. 2 overall recruit in the 2025 class, offers a higher ceiling and more as a runner.

Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Bray Hubbard (18) against the Oklahoma Sooners during the CFP National Playoff First Round. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The reason for optimism is on defense. Alabama returns all five starters in the secondary, a rarity in the portal era. Hubbard passed on the NFL to chase a title, Brown turned interceptions into touchdowns against both Tennessee and Oklahoma last year and safety Keon Sabb came back alongside them.

The schedule offers real chances to re-establish the program, with Florida State visiting Tuscaloosa for a revenge shot and Georgia coming to town in October. Alabama has the pieces to make another playoff run. Getting there depends on whether the new quarterback protects the football and the rebuilt line finally lets the Crimson Tide run it.