AJ McCarron identifies 2 areas Alabama must improve on defense to be elite

Mark J. Rebilas - Imagn Images

Alabama football created takeaways on defense and made plays last year, but it was not among the elite groups in college football.

Kalen DeBoer sends warning to Alabama OL Jackson Lloyd after he’s announced a starter

The Crimson Tide finished in the middle of the pack nationally in several categories, which frustrated defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. He is passionate about being dominant as former Tide head coach Nick Saban was. Alabama has returned starters on defense – including a stacked secondary – yet can it be the best defense in college football?

AJ McCarron, a former Alabama quarterback, identifies two areas the Tide must improve at to be elite in the fall.

He mentioned both on The Dynasty podcast.

Creating pressure to quarterbacks

Alabama ranked in the middle of the pack of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools for sacks in 2025, coming in at No. 54 with 33.  Yhonzae Pierre had a team-high eight sacks, but the Crimson Tide averaged just 2.2 per game.

Alabama also finished at No. 55 in tackles for loss, posting 86 with 5.7/ matchup.

McCarron believes the Tide must find that elite playmaker for sacks or find some creative way to pressure.

Alabama’s secondary is stacked with experience, but to become the dominant defense Kane Wommack wants, the Tide must find more ways to pressure the QB and stop the run in 2026. #rolltide pic.twitter.com/s4NFnLTXiF

— THE DYNASTY (@TheDynastyBAMA) March 28, 2026

“They have an issue,” McCarron said of Alabama’s pass rush. “They have had it for about two years now from a box standpoint. They do not and have not done a great job of getting pressure on the quarterback, unless they are bringing six and playing man coverage behind it.”

McCarron says the scheme needs to change when it comes to generating pressure.

“They have to come up with different games up front,” he said. “It can’t always be nickel-field pressure. They have to find ways to come up with more pressure.”

Stopping the run

Kane Wommack’s other problem on defense was stopping the run.

Alabama surrendered 238 first downs in 2025 with 105 coming on run plays. The Tide finished ranked 37th against the run, allowing 126.9 yards per matchup and 17 touchdowns.

DeBoer details what he has seen from Alabama football’s running backs after first scrimmage

McCarron sees this as a glaring weakness that needs to be fixed now.

“You have to be able to stop the run,” he said. 

“They struggled really, really badly with it late in the year. When you make it that late in the season, you have to be able to stop the run and put pressure on the quarterback. If you can do those two things, then you are going to be successful. They have to find that this year.”

Hopefully, Alabama will master both aspects in the coming fall.

*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber-only content!*

Stephen M. Smith is a team writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine.  You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.