By most metrics, Alabama football had a Top 10 defense in the country last season in Kane Wommack's first season as the defensive coordinator. After some early season struggles, particularly in the loss to Vanderbilt, the Crimson Tide made major strides defensively and saw a lot of development from young players.
There's plenty of reason to believe the 2025 version will be even better and could ultimately be the best defense in the country next season. In order to do that, Wommack and DL coach Freddie Roach are going to have to work hard this spring to develop some depth behind a quality group of starters.
The three starters on the defensive line in Wommack's 3-3-5 scheme are pretty well entrenched. LT Overton returned for his senior season and will start at Bandit. Tim Keenan returned for his fifth year and will start at nose. Rising junior James Smith really came on over the second half of his sophomore season and will likely start at defensive tackle. That's a formidable group. Developing the guys behind them will be key as Alabama, like all teams, likes to rotate guys up front to keep everyone fresh.
Alabama should have quality depth at Bandit if nothing else. The Crimson Tide added Florida transfer Kelby Collins out of the portal, and he should provide good snaps right away. Collins had an outstanding freshman season with the Gators in 2023 before having an up-and-down year in 2024 due to a scheme change. His arch in Gainesville is similar to Overton's arch in College Station. Overton took a sizable leap in Tuscaloosa last season and was one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the country.
Keon Keeley and Jordan Renaud are both entering their third years in the program and both will hope to find a way into meaningful snaps. It won't be easy at the Bandit position with the guys ahead of them, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see one or both get snaps on the interior, too. Alabama's depth at DT and Nose is a concern as there is limited experience.
All eyes will be on the development of the young defensive linemen
Redshirt sophomore Edric Hill, redshirt freshman Jeremiah Beaman, and redshirt freshman Isaia Faga will all need to take leaps during the spring and be prepared to be contributors next season. Alabama's depth depends on it.
Hill is entering his third year in the program and Beaman was getting some snaps at nose late in the season. Those two should be reliable depth options, but you never really know until they get meaningful snaps how they're going to hold up. Faga is a complete unknown at this point.
JUCO transfer Steve Mboumoua is going to have to be ready to play, too. He should be physically ready to contribute, but there's obviously a big jump in competition from junior college to the SEC.
Alabama's lone incoming freshman on the defensive line is London Simmons; it would be asking him a lot to expect meaningful snaps from him right away. He's one of just three 2025 recruits for Alabama who didn't enroll early, so we'll have to wait until the summer to get a glimpse of him.
I would expect Alabama to peruse the spring portal window for a potential depth piece on the defensive line. They may not be able to pitch a starting spot, but there's plenty of playing time available. The Crimson Tide doesn't have many needs, but adding a quality rotational player on the defensive line could be key for the 2025 Alabama defense.