Alabama is off to a 5-1 start to begin the Kalen DeBoer era. The Crimson Tide have had some highs and lows through the first six games. That is expected when a new coach takes over, especially after replacing former Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
Alabama is ranked as the No. 7 team in the country. Despite a loss to Vanderbilt in week six, the Crimson Tide still have everything ahead of them. There are a lot of positive things to take away from the first six games. However, there are just as many negative takeaways from the first six games as well. Alabama will need to continue to improve if they hope to play in the postseason.
Today, we grade how each position group has performed through the first six games of the 2024-2025 season.
Quarterback: A-
Alabama’s offense is led by starting quarterback Jalen Milroe. The redshirt junior has shown signs of improvement from a season ago. He seems to be better at decision-making and has taken the reigns as the leader of the offense. In the first four games, Milroe performed extremely well. He was getting his playmakers involved in the passing game and was very impactful in the run game. In the last two games, Milroe has struggled to get going in the run game and has thrown three interceptions. That is uncharacteristic for Milroe given his hot start to the season. Milroe will need to clean up the turnovers moving forward, but he has been a bright spot on Alabama’s offense this season.
Running Back: B-
Alabama’s top two running backs this season are junior Jam Miller and sophomore Justice Haynes. Both were expected to see increased roles in the offense from a season ago. While both have performed well at times, they have not lived up to expectations. Miller has 51 carries for 360 yards and five touchdowns. Haynes has 39 carries for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Each have shown signs of promise, but neither have emerged as the lead back. In years past, Alabama has always had a lead back. It will be interesting to see if either emerge in the coming weeks.
Wide Receiver: B
Alabama is led at the wide receiver position by true freshman Ryan Williams. He has taken the reigns as WR1. Junior Germie Bernard has stepped up as well in recent weeks for the Crimson Tide. Outside of those two, no one has been very productive. Cole Adams and Kobe Prentice have made the most of their limited opportunities this season. Kendrick Law is the best blocker of all of the wide receivers but has missed the last two games due to injury. Emmanuel Henderson Jr. and Caleb Odom have each played sparingly and reeled in a combined eight receptions. Altogether, someone has to step up and contribute at the position outside of Williams and Bernard. It would be beneficial for Milroe to have another target to throw to in the passing game.
Tight End: A-
This might be the most difficult position group to give a grade for. It stems from the fact that the tight ends have been used sparingly in the pass game. As blockers, there has not been anything noticeable or glaring about the way they have performed. Senior CJ Dippre and junior Josh Cuevas have performed well given the ample opportunities that they have been given. Dippre has reeled in 10 receptions for 121 yards. Cuevas has hauled in eight receptions for 96 yards. Robbie Ouzts is used primarily as a blocker. The tight ends have done what they need to do thus far. It will be interesting to see if they receive more opportunities moving forward.
Offensive Line: C+
In the first two games, Alabama’s offensive line was inconsistent. Part of that stemmed from the fact that sophomore tackle Kadyn Proctor was absent from the starting lineup. When Proctor returned to action, the offensive line was a much-improved unit over the next two weeks. However, it seems like they have regressed in the past two weeks. Redshirt sophomore tackle Elijah Pritchett has struggled mightily in pass protection. As far as the run games, the offensive line has struggled significantly to get any penetration and create holes for the running backs. The interior of Alabama’s offensive line seems to be its biggest strength. Junior guard Tyler Booker, junior center Parker Brailsford, and redshirt junior Jaeden Roberts have performed well for the most part. The play at the tackle position will have to improve drastically. If not, the Crimson Tide will be unable to operate efficiently on offense.
Defensive Line: C
Coming into the season, the expectation was that the Crimson Tide would have seven defensive linemen in the rotation to earn meaningful snaps. That number has fluctuated since the start of the season. Junior Jeheim Oatis battled injuries to start the season and ultimately decided to enter the transfer portal and redshirt following Alabama’s loss to Vanderbilt. His presence along the interior was impactful a season ago and seems to be missed this season. Opponents have been able to run the ball effectively in recent weeks. The pass rush is unpredictable. In the first six games, Alabama’s defensive line has recorded just 4.5 sacks. That is less than one sack per game. Tim Keenan III, Jah-Marien Latham, Damon Payne, James Smith, LT Overton, Tim Smith Jr., and Jordan Renaud seem to be the defensive linemen now in the mix to earn meaningful snaps. Aside from Smith and Overton, the rest of the group has struggled in my opinion. Thus, the reason for the defensive line’s grade being a “C’.
Linebacker: C
There was a lot of buzz during the offseason that linebacker would be one of Alabama’s strengths in 2024. That has not been the case thus far. Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell have combined to record 101 tackles. However, they should have even more considering each of them have missed a number of tackles. In the last two weeks alone, Alabama has missed 22 tackles. They account for a good number of those. Senior Justin Jefferson has been in and out of the lineup as a result of injury. Overall, he has shown signs of improvement from a season ago, but he too, has missed tackles. As far as the outside linebackers are concerned, there doesn’t seem to be an elite pass rusher. Que Robinson, Keanu Koht, Qua Russaw, and Yhonzae Pierre are the primary players at the WOLF position. The coaching staff seems to trust each of them. Among the four, they have combined to tally 5.5 sacks. That number should be higher in my opinion. Overall, I see room for a wealth of improvement at the linebacker position moving forward.
Cornerback: B
Given the youth and inexperience that Alabama had at the cornerback position heading into the season, I feel like the group has performed relatively well for the most part. USC transfer Domani Jackson has taken the reigns as CB1 for the Crimson Tide this season. He has done an excellent job of neutralizing opposing teams’ top wide receivers. Outside of Jackson, I have seen tremendous improvement from freshman Zabien Brown on a weekly basis. Brown has come through in several clutch moments this season, particularly in the Georgia game. Two other freshmen that have received abundant playing time are Red Morgan and Jaylen Mbakwe. For the most part, they have held their own outside of a couple of mishaps. Wake Forest transfer DaShawn Jones has also contributed at the cornerback position given several injuries on the back end. Cornerbacks coach Maurice Linguist seems to be doing a good job of getting his guys prepared and eager to play each week.
Safety: B
There were a lot of question marks surrounding the safety position heading into the season. After losing Caleb Downs to the transfer portal, skepticism encapsulated the safety position. However, there has not been a sizable drop off through the first six games. Michigan transfer Keon Sabb has filled in nicely for Downs. Graduate senior Malachi Moore continues to be a leader in the secondary and has set the tone at times this season. Outside of several miscues against Georgia and Vanderbilt, those two have performed well. DeVonta Smith has provided a lot of energy and toughness at the safety position as well. Bray Hubbard and King Mack have played sparingly, but both could see increased roles as the season progresses given their versatility. Altogether, I have been pleased with the play at the safety position.
Special Teams: A-
One of Alabama’s most reliable players is redshirt senior punter James Burnip. The Australian native has been spectacular through the first half of the season. He averages 46 yards per punt. In addition, he has made 10 punts land inside the 20 and has 10 punts of 50 or more yards. Miami-Ohio transfer Graham Nicholson has taken over the kicking duties after NCAA all-time leading scorer Will Reichard exhausted his college eligibility. Nicholson has not seen many opportunities but has been perfect on extra points this season having made all 31 of his attempts. He is 1/2 on field goal attempts. Moving forward, Nicholson could become a weapon for the Crimson Tide. For now, it is hard to get a feel for how productive he has been.
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