The Alabama Crimson Tide have one of the most difficult schedules in college football for the 2025 season. With that being the case, the Crimson Tide will be challenged week-in and week-out for the majority of the season. Needless to say, there will be a plethora of talent on the opposing side of the ball.
Touchdown Alabama lists the top offensive players from each of Alabama’s 12 opponents for the 2025 season.
Florida State – QB Thomas Castellanos
During the offseason, Florida State’s coaching staff made it a priority to land one quarterback via the transfer portal. The ‘Noles did just that by landing Boston College transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos. The Georgia native put together two promising seasons in Chestnut Hill. He will definitely be an upgrade at the quarterback position from a season ago. Interestingly enough, Castellanos was recruited by Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn coming out of high school. Malzahn previously served as the head coach at UCF. Now, the two will work together in Tallahassee and look to revive the ‘Noles offense in 2025.
Louisiana-Monroe – RB Antonio Martin Jr.
Louisiana-Monroe lost its top player from the 2024 season to Missouri. Running back Ahmad Hardy transferred to the Tigers after the season concluded. With that taking place, the Warhawks coaching staff was able to land SELA running back transfer Antonio Martin Jr. As a true freshman in 2024, Martin Jr. had 230 carries for 1,228 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was a workhorse and will strive to do the same in Monroe.
Wisconsin – WR Vinnie Anthony II
Wisconsin lost a handful of its top playmakers from the 2024 season to the transfer portal. One of the players that elected to return to Madison was wide receiver Vinny Anthony II. The Kentucky native is looking to build off a strong junior campaign. He finished the 2024 season with 39 receptions for 672 yards and four touchdowns. Alabama will need to neutralize Anthony II and his playmaking ability in Week 3 of the 2025 season.
Georgia – RB Nate Frazier
One of the players that stood out the most on Georgia’s offense during the 2024 season was true freshman Nate Frazier. The California native was once a priority recruit for the Crimson Tide, and he showed why in Year 1 in Athens. Frazier finished the season with 133 carries for 671 yards and eight touchdowns. He will likely be RB1 for the Bulldogs during the 2025 season. Frazier runs the ball with a lot of passion and tenacity. It will be interesting to see how Alabama’s defense accounts for him when the two teams meet in late September.
Vanderbilt – QB Diego Pavia
In 2024, Vanderbilt upset Alabama in following the Crimson Tide’s thrilling win over Georgia. The Commodores were led offensively by quarterback Diego Pavia. The New Mexico State transfer was the X-factor for Vanderbilt in that game and helped lead the Commodores to a 7-6 record. He is set to return for the 2025 season after receiving a blanket waiver from the NCAA that grants former junior college athletes an additional year of eligibility. It is worth noting that Pavia is 3-0 against teams from the state of Alabama in the past two seasons.
Missouri – RB Ahmad Hardy
As I noted previously, Hardy transferred to Missouri from Louisiana-Monroe. He was arguably the top running back in the transfer portal during the offseason. As a true freshman in 2024, Hardy rushed for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns. With the Tigers losing starting running back Marcus Carroll to the NFL, Hardy will have the opportunity to be a Day 1 starter in CoMo. He will get the chance to play against a good Alabama defense, so it will be interesting to see how things go for the Mississippi native.
Tennessee – QB Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee lost key playmakers such as running back Dylan Sampson, wide receiver Bru McCoy, and Dont’e Thornton this offseason to the NFL Draft. One player that decided to remain in Knoxville for the 2025 season is quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The California native had an impressive redshirt freshman season. Iamaleava finished the season with over 2,000 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. It will be intriguing to see how Tennessee builds its offense around Iamaleava’s strengths given all of the departures in the past few months. Nevertheless, Iamaleave will be the Alpha in the Volunteers offense in 2025.
South Carolina – QB LaNorris Sellers
South Carolina finished the 2024 season with a 9-4 record. It was a successful season for Shane Beamer and company. The Gamecocks will return a key piece of their team from last season with starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers coming back for his redshirt sophomore season. The South Carolina native showed a lot of potential in 2024 as both a passer and rusher. He will look to do the same in 2025.
LSU – QB Garett Nussmeier
LSU has lost a lot of firepower on offense over the course of the last two offseasons. However, one player off the previous two teams remains in Baton Rouge. That is quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. The Louisiana native passed for over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns. Nussmeier has a strong cast of playmakers surrounding him despite the players that left the program following the conclusion of the 2024-2025 season. He will look to improve his draft stock and build upon a very strong redshirt junior season.
Oklahoma – QB John Mateer
It was no secret that Oklahoma had a need at quarterback this offseason. The Sooners went into the transfer portal and landed Washington State transfer John Mateer. The Texas native passed for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns along with 826 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Altogether, Mateer was one of the top quarterbacks in the country from a statistical standpoint. Will Mateer be able to take the Sooners offense to a new level during the 2025 season. Sooners head coach Brent Venables and the Sooners fanbase certainly hope so.
Eastern Illinois – WR DeAirious Smith
Despite playing in just two games, wide receiver DeAirious Smith will be one of the top players on the Panthers roster in 2025. In 2023, Smith played in all 11 games and reeled in 28 receptions for 494 yards and two touchdowns. The Kentucky native will be eager to return to action and will look to bounce back from a season-ending injury in 2024.
Auburn – WR Eric Singleton
Auburn lost its top skilled players in 2024 as running back Jarquez Hunter and wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith graduated. With that being the case, the Auburn coaching staff went to the transfer portal and brought in Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton. The Georgia native finished his sophomore season in 2024 with 56 receptions for 754 yards and three touchdowns. He was one of the top pass catchers in the transfer portal and will now be heading to “The Plains” to continue his athletic and academic career. Singleton will join forces with sophomore Cam Coleman to form one of the top receiving duos in college football in 2025.
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Brody Smoot is a team reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “follow” him on X, via @brodysmoot.
