Fall camp in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is underway, and Year 2 of the Kalen DeBoer era has begun. Year 1 ended in disappointment, missing out on the College Football Playoff and finishing with just nine wins, so the pressure is on everyone, from DeBoer on down through the program, to reestablish the standard of excellence.
DeBoer could find his way onto the hot seat with another underwhelming season, though the pressure begins to mount for him once the Tide take the field in Tallahassee for a Week 1 matchup with Florida State. For these five players, however, the pressure is already on, not even a week into fall camp.
The No. 2 overall recruit in the 2023 class, Keon Keeley, has played just 24 career snaps since joining the Crimson Tide. Keeley couldn’t crack the loaded rotation as a true freshman, and last season was undergoing a positional transition from outside linebacker to Kane Wommack’s bandit position, and added weight in the process.
Now, with his transformation complete, Keeley needs to find a way into the defensive line rotation behind starter LT Overton, or his career at Alabama could come to an abrupt end. Most would’ve expected Keeley to leave for the NFL after Year 3, not the transfer portal in search of a fresh start.
The three returning starters along Alabama’s offensive line, Kadyn Proctor, Parker Brailsford, and Jaeden Roberts, are entrenched in their starting roles for 2025, and redshirt sophomore Wilkin Formby appears to be slated for the right tackle spot. There is a battle between Geno VanDeMark and Kam Dewbery for starting reps at left guard, but I’d argue Formby is under more pressure than that duo.
Unlike the loser of the VanDeMark/Dewberry competition, Formby doesn’t have a clear-cut backup ready to step into the role if he falters in fall camp. And, unlike that duo, Formby has already gotten a chance to start, winning the right tackle job out of camp last year before ceding the spot to Elijah Pritchett after two weeks.
Kalen DeBoer hasn’t officially named him the starter, but it’s been obvious since that Ty Simpson is the head coach’s preferred option in Week 1. Now, Simpson just has to prove he’s the alpha in the quarterback room through fall camp and hold off five-star freshman Keelon Russell.
So, Simpson has the expectations of a starting quarterback, with the security of the title. How’s that for fall camp pressure?
Even with Jihaad Campbell and Deontae Lawson ahead of him, Justin Jefferson found his way onto the field for 422 snaps last season and stepped into a starting role after Lawson’s injury against Oklahoma. Now, with Campbell preparing for his rookie season in the NFL, Jefferson has to adjust to the role of a full-time starter alongside Lawson while holding off Colorado transfer Nikhai Hill-Green.
Alabama has a crowded group of middle linebackers, so any slip-up in fall camp will be seen as an opportunity for a talented group of backups.
After a promising season in the Alabama secondary, Jaylen Mbakwe, a former highly-touted cornerback recruit, forced a position change to the offensive side of the ball. Mbakwe didn’t find his way onto the field much in Alabama’s ReliaQuest Bowl loss to Michigan, and barring a stellar fall camp to climb the depth chart, could be heading for the transfer portal sooner rather than later.