3 things Kane Wommack must do for Alabama to win CFP title in 2026

Mark J. Rebilas - Imagn Images

Ryan Grubb drew criticism from Alabama fans in his first season as offensive coordinator, yet Kalen DeBoer’s other coordinator took big strides in his second year.

Kane Wommack has the Crimson Tide creating takeaways on defense, pressuring opposing quarterbacks, and winning on third downs. The former South Alabama head coach pushed Alabama to having a top-20 scoring defense (19.2 ppg allowed, No. 20) in 2025, while generating 12 takeaways.

Yhonzae Pierre, a former five-star, emerged as a team’s best sacks specialist – totaling eight sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hurries last year.

He is a good coordinator, but there are some areas where Wommack can be better. Below are three things he must do for Alabama to win a College Football Playoff National Championship in the coming fall.

Have Alabama’s defense take over games

When Alabama had a young starting quarterback, it fielded a defense that took over games.

Eugene “Gene” Stallings had the 1992 dominant unit with Antonio Langham, George Teague, Eric Curry, and John Copeland that bailed out Jay Barker and the offense a lot. If the offense only mustered three points, it was enough for the defense to handle the rest and win games.

The 1992 defense put the team on its back and won a national championship.

In the Nick Saban era, Alabama had a defense in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2017 that took over matchups. The Crimson Tide captured national titles in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2017, while the 2016 defense was more than good enough to win a national championship.

Whether it is Austin Mack or Keelon Russell, Alabama will have a first-year starter at quarterback in the fall.

Kane Wommack has to have a defense set to dominate games.

Alabama’s defense has to win some matchups as the quarterback settles in.

Find ways to create more takeaways

Alabama had good moments in situational football when it came to forcing turnovers.

Zabien Brown, a potential first-round pick at cornerback, had several game-changing moments – including two interceptions returned for touchdowns versus Tennessee and Oklahoma.

Both of his picks swung momentum into Alabama’s favor to win the game.

Kane Wommack has more athletes on this year’s defense, so Tide fans would like to see how he positions them to get more takeaways. His vision coverage did some good things; however, can Alabama swarm more to the ball to gain more forced fumbles (fumble recoveries) and interceptions?

It will be something interesting to watch in the fall.

Become more explosive in pass rush ability

The best defenses in Alabama football history are those with multiple pass rushers.

Wommack does not want to blitz heavily, so he is going to need to produce another sacks specialist to pair with Yhonzae Pierre. No matter if it is Justin Hill, Desmond Umeozulu, or Devan Thompkins, the Tide has to amass more sacks in its pass rush.

Alabama has an elite secondary, but the defense will be difficult to stop if its front unit can be special.

*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.