DeBoer gives thoughts on Alabama being young in 2026 after older Indiana team finds success

Oct 11, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Dijon Lee Jr. (5) intercepts a pass intended for Missouri Tigers wide receiver Donovan Olugbode (1) during the fourth quarter at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Kalen DeBoer gave his thoughts on the Alabama Crimson Tide having a young roster in 2026 on Wednesday.

DeBoer said he was previously sent a study, and it showed how young the Tide were in 2025. The study came to light after the Indiana Hoosiers won a National Championship with an uncharacteristically older roster.

The Alabama head coach feels the study’s findings could have contributed to some of the Tide’s inconsistences in 2025.

“A lot’s been made about an older team,” DeBoer said. “I didn’t do the study. The study was sent to me, but it showed how young we were as a football team, probably led to some of the inconsistencies we had at times, especially at the end of the year when you’re facing the most mature teams and the best teams in the country, but it is what it is, and you always would love to get some upperclassmen whenever that shows up but some position groups work in that way, some don’t, depending on what you already have in your program.”

DeBoer wants his 2026 squad to carry the young roster label as a badge of honor. He wants it to be seen as motivation for returning players.

“We just want to take the best players, the ones that fit, the ones that were hungry, the ones that really wanted to be here and be a part of it,” DeBoer told reporters at the Senior Bowl. ” I think we did that. Probably younger again, but that’s something we got to use as an edge and try to make kind of our thing. Let’s continue to grow up faster. Let’s have the Lotzeir Brooks and Dijon Lees and Michael Carrolls and London Simmons and the guys that were true freshmen last year, take that next step along with a lot of our guys who are upperclassmen in our program.”

Year three under DeBoer is sure to catch a lot of eyeballs.