SOTC Update: Alabama Crimson Tide
Let's take a look at the season that was and get you up to speed on what the off-season has brought thus far for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama Crimson Tide
State of the Chart™ Recap Edition
Live All-In Ranking: 4th
Offense: 7th
Defense: 3rd
2024 Results: 9-4 (5-3 in SEC)
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|||||| STATE OF THE CHART™ SUMMARY
Things are not okay in Tuscaloosa. They haven’t lost four games in a season since Nick Saban’s first season (2007). The strangest part of this first season of the Kalen DeBoer era is that there as a ton of talent on this roster. You could foresee a step back if the quarterback play wasn’t quite there; or the defense lost too much to keep up. That was certainly not the case. Add in that the Tide were actually very fortunate with injuries and it leaves one to wonder how this happened. Sure, losing to Vanderbilt will never be acceptable, but the Commodores were certainly improved and that was their Super Bowl. Tennessee is a very good team and that was in Knoxville. The 24-3 loss to Oklahoma is and will remain the head-scratcher. The Bowl loss to Michigan was a season-capping disappointment. One glaring difference between the Saban regime and this one is the penalties, which saw this Crimson Tide unit give up 69.1 yards (ranked 123rd) in penalties per game. The hire of DeBoer and his subsequent coordinator hires, including the ‘splash’ hire of former South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack, had folks around this program feeling good about the capable hands this once juggernaut was placed. A year later, that feeling has become a bit more uneasy.
|||||| HEAD COACH AND COACHING STAFF
Kalen DeBoer came to Tuscaloosa with unfair expectations, frankly. He had the unenviable task of following a legend. Therefore, to lose four games and miss out on the College Football Playoff (CFP) was met with quite a lot of angst from the fan base and administration. Entering year two, while also unfair, it can be said that his seat is warming a bit and will need to turn in at least a double-digit win season and participate in that CFP before that seat turns to hot.
Coaching Staff Notes/Changes:
Defensive Line coach Freddie Roach added “Associate Head Coach” to his title.
Co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs coach Colin Hitschler will not return in 2025. He has been rumored recently to be a candidate for the vacant Defensive Coordinator role at James Madison (as of 1/25).
Update (2/3): Ryan Grubb has been hired as the offensive coordinator for Alabama. Grubb was with DeBoer at Washington and previous stops and links back up after one failed season as the Seattle Seahawks OC. Former OC/QB coach Nick Sheridan will remain on staff and coach quarterbacks going forward.
Note: This is a “dynamic” article; meaning we will update any information that comes in this “off-season” and post a note when impactful moves are made or news breaks.
|||||| 2024 SCHEDULE / RESULTS ANALYSIS
The SEC will present quite the challenge, but even amongst SEC teams, this was a gauntlet from start to finish. The Tide played the ninth toughest schedule in the country, according to our SOS+ metric. While two of the losses were inexplicable (see: at Vanderbilt week six and at Oklahoma week 13), it’s easy to forget that DeBoer did win his first meeting with Georgia (partially, because of the comeback the Dawgs put up to make it a close game), beat what turned out to be a very good South Carolina team and destroyed both Mizzou at home and LSU on the road. Throw in a non-conference win week three in Madison, Wisconsin and in the end, the posted nine wins appear to be what they deserved in a season filled with ups-and-downs.
||||||| POSITION GROUP CHECK-INS
OFFENSE: Nick Sheridan's group was one of the best in the country in 2024, led by quarterback Jalen Milroe. They finished 22nd in scoring offense (33.8 points per game), despite playing the 9th toughest slate of opposition. Milroe's passing took a big step forward and despite a run-first play-calling scheme, his 8.7 yards per attempt passing was top ten in the land. They also were explosive, finishing with 74 explosive plays (30+ yards) and cashed in on their red zone appearances, scoring touchdowns at a 74% clip. The one hiccup that kept it from being utterly dominant was an offensive line that allowed too much penetration.
||| QB
Jalen Milroe was really, really good for the Tide in 2024. He will take his talents to the NFL in 2025, leaving one year of eligibility on the table. Ty Simpson did see limited action (34 drop backs) and will return to compete for the starting gig. Don't sleep on Austin Mack, who came over with DeBoer from Washington and may get a look this off-season. Keelon Russell is a big-time 5-star recruit and is the future here. We would not be surprised to see somebody hand-picked from the portal to be added to this mix for 2025.
||| RB
Jam Miller emerged as the lead from a talented group of backs here. Justice Haynes was the clear number two in this backfield and there were games that the two split carries. Miller is expected back; but Haynes entered the portal following the season and is heading to Michigan. Richard Young and Daniel Hill provide some depth, but but they did get a commitment from Dre'lyn Washington (Louisiana) from the portal to compete for the backup role. Akylin Dear is the big recruit from the ‘25 class who likely takes a redshirt and then gets in the mix for 2026.
||| WR
Ryan Williams quickly rose to the top of the depth chart as a true freshman and led the team in targets. Washington transfer-in Germie Bernard ended up leading in receptions. Williams did fade a bit later in the season but he remains a future star here. Bernard announced his intention to return, despite the ability to play on Sundays. They were far and away the top two in this room and will be in 2025 and bring in Isaiah Horton from Miami via the portal as a needed third option as the next four on the depth chart are transferring out. Cole Adams and Rico Scott should not be forgotten about either as both are recent 4-star recruits and at least saw some game action in 2024.
Update (2/3): Jaylen Mbakwe’s move to wide receiver from defensive back for the bowl game appears to be sticking (for now).
||| TE
Nobody really took hold as a stand out in this group, with CJ Dippre leading the way with just 25 targets. Josh Cuevas chipped in with 15 catches, while Robbie Ouzts was used primarily as a blocker. Both Dippre and Ouztz are out of eligibility and move on. Ty Lockwood was a 4-star recruit in the '23 class but has become impatient and moved to Boston College.
||| OL
This group was good, but not great, like it needs to be to compete and win in the SEC. The weak link may have been RT Elijah Pritchett, who has transferred out to Nebraska. They will need to replace starting LG Tyler Booker (NFL), but that may just be an opportunity to upgrade. Kam Dewberry has committed to join up from Texas A&M, but we don’t have a ton of data on him and he would not be that clear upgrade. Olaus Allen and William Sanders were both highly-rated recent recruits who may be asked to take on a role. This needs to go from 35-40th ranked back into the top-15 heading into 2025.
DEFENSE: Kane Wommack's defensive unit was much maligned for part of the season, before rallying to post a really impressive set of metrics. Similar to the offensive side of the ball, had the front seven created a bit more havoc in the opposition backfield, things could have been even better. And, had they not tightened when it mattered most in the Red Zone (allowing just a 46% touchdown rate) and on 3rd downs (opponents converted just 33%), things could have looked very different.
||| DL
While a very solid group in 2024, the one glaring deficiency was in the pass rush. They managed just nine sacks from this group. LT Overton and Tim Keenan III led the way and were really good at chipping in on stopping the run. Overton did manage 28 hurries (3 sacks) so he solid getting to the passer. Keenan shunned the NFL returning for his final season. Adding a pure EDGE pass rusher may be a priority area.
||| LB
That pass rusher could come from this group as well, as their best in that category, Jihaad Campbell (7 sacks; 60 stops) is headed to the NFL. Those are some big shoes to fill. Though, they have highly-rated players all over this room. Getting Justin Jefferson and Qua Russaw on the field more should yield big dividends. Jefferson will return after getting an extra year thanks to the Diego Pavia ruling. Que Robinson's eligibility is exhausted and that will be another impactful loss. All told, this should remain a strength.
||| DB
This group took some heat during the season for letting some receivers run free. They tightened things and ended up as a top-15 unit by most metrics. They did lack a true shutdown cover cornerback. Domani Jackson was good, but his best attribute was run defense and that’s not what you are looking for from your top cover cornerback. S Malachi Moore was their best player and he is heading to the NFL next year. The name to watch is Bray Hubbard, who showed well in limited snaps.
||| SPECIAL TEAMS:
Graham Nicholson was a serviceable kicker and James Burnip was one of the best punters in the game. Both are out of eligibility and will move on. Their replacements are likely going to come from the outside. Ryan Williams got his feet wet as a returner and he may continue in that role. Though, he’ll likely eventually rise to a point that they don’t want their star receiver back there returning kicks.
Reader feedback is requested and encouraged! Who knows these teams better than their passionate fan bases? We don’t pretend to know it all and would love your feedback. We will update/edit based (and credit) for anything that is brought to our attention. Let’s do this together…
|||||| TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER
The Tide, as it stands, are getting crushed in the portal. They have lost 25 players and brought in just eight. Their total churn rate (at the time of publish) is -181.0, which ranks 121st in the FBS and 15/16 in the SEC. Their best pick-up thus far is DB Cameron Calhoun, who is coming in from Utah. Below is a screen shot of the full, live Transfer Portal Tracker over at CFBDepth.com. Click the image or the button below to view it in its entirety…
|||||| 2025 RECRUITING CLASS
DeBoer and company are doing work in this the first full recruiting cycle in Tuscaloosa. The focus has been on offense, true to form. They get their future quarterback in Keelon Russell out of Texas and also nab two five-star offensive linemen in Michael Carroll and Ty Haywood.
Russell is the headliner as he draws comparisons to Jayden Daniels for his combination of arm talent and athleticism. He projects as a future first round pick (hence the 5-star rating) and playing against the best competition in Texas high school football will prepare him well. Similar to Julian Sayin at Ohio State, he’s looking like he’ll need a year to bulk up before legitimately putting up a fight to win the starting job, but crazier things have happened.
Suggested reading: More on QB Keelon Russell and his highest-ever composite rating on 247sports »
Carroll projects as playing on the inside (guard) despite having the size to handle the load at tackle. 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins sees him as having the potential to really be something special. He has played on both sides of the ball and also wrestles. He is on the 2025 version of the “Freaks List” put out annually at 247. He did take a visit to Colorado but has held strong to his commitment to the Tide thus far.
This class (as it stands) comes in at #9 overall and #3 on offense. The defensive side is not lacking with big future potential as well and there is still time to lock up a few more on that side of the ball.
Here is a snapshot of the 2025 Recruiting Class+ with a link to the live page with updates throughout the cycle:
|||||| 2025 SCHEDULE LOOK AHEAD
The 2025 slate looks similar in certain areas, including that they will get Georgia and LSU after their bye weeks. That worked out well for them in 2024. They will get a sure-to-be improved Wisconsin team at home. The big change is swapping Western Kentucky for Florida State , who also should be vastly improved, to open things in Tallahassee.
There is a lot of movement and decisions to be made throughout the off-season, including more portal moves, winter workouts and spring ball. Get all caught up with the full-on State of the Chart Magazine coming in July. If you missed the ad before, get more information and give us your e-mail to stay in the loop on everything SOTC!
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