Kalen DeBoer lists multiple return options Alabama has at its disposal

Alabama football still hasn’t decided on who they will send back deep to field kickoffs and punts during 2025 season, according to Kalen DeBoer.

The Crimson Tide are in the process of dwindling down the list of viable candidates who could be counted on as return men on special teams this fall.

“We haven’t decided who the starter will be back there,” DeBoer told reporters on Saturday after Alabama football’s second scrimmage. “Guys that did a good job a year ago, we’ve got Cole back there, really in both, he started out as our punt returner a year ago. And he’s done a nice job, just being steady. And then, new faces, we’ve got Rico (Scott), probably kickoff return, you know, can do some things back there for us. And then Bak (Jaylen Mwbakwe), in both areas as well, he and Cole I think can do both and prove a combination of just consistency with fielding it and then some explosiveness there. I would start with those guys but there’s more.”

“Ryan had great experience there last year,” DeBoer said. “He had a couple of explosive plays and got thrown into action when Bak went down through the season. And I would have 100 percent confidence having Germie Bernard sit back there to field punts and things like that. So, that’s kind of the nuts and bolts of kind of who we’d put back there.”

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Trevion Ware

Trevion Ware is a contributing writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine that covers The University of Alabama Crimson Tide Football team. Ware is official credentialed media with The University of Alabama through Touchdown Alabama Magazine.

Trevion Ware