Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from Monday and Tuesday, September 8th and 9th.
Nate Oats, Alabama basketball heating up on the recruiting trail
Football season is in full swing, but Nate Oats is keeping Alabama basketball relevant in the news cycle. It's been a big week for Oats and the Tide already. On Monday, Alabama landed a commitment from Chris Washington Jr., a Top-40 recruit nationally in the 2026 class. Washington visited Tuscaloosa this past weekend, and Oats and lead assistant Preston Murphy did what they normally do on visits: knocked it out of the park.
Just a few hours after Washington announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide, Alabama picked up a crystal ball to land another 4-star recruit in wing Tarris Bouie.
On Tuesday, perhaps the biggest news of all popped up. 5-star SG Caleb Holt, the No. 3 overall player in the 2026 class, announced he had moved up his visit to this coming weekend. He'll join fellow 5-stars Deron Rippey Jr. and Jaxon Richardson on official visits to Tuscaloosa this weekend.
Holt is the Tide's top target. He's an Alabama native who Oats and the staff have been after for years now. They'll hope to make a big impression while he's in town.
Offensive line changes on the horizon for Alabama?
There seems to be some genuine competition on the right side of the Alabama offensive line. On Monday, both Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb made mention to 5-star freshman Michael Carroll making a push for the starting RT job. He got extended playing time against UL Monroe last week and seemed to hold up fine.
That goes along with 5th-year senior Jaeden Roberts getting healthy and eventually making a push for his job back at RG. Wilkin Formby and Geno VanDeMark have played solidly through two games, but they've certainly been the weak links up front.
If Alabama can get more consistency out of those two spots, then it could ultimately live up to its immense potential as a unit.
Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb tested Ty Simpson against ULM - he passed with flying colors
Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb wanted to get Ty Simpson's attention against UL Monroe. They weren't overly happy with their new quarterback's performance in the season-opening loss to Florida State, and wanted him to play with more anticipation and more consistency.
They got his attention by telling him during the week that redshirt sophomore Austin Mack would rotate in at some point during the second quarter. That's exactly what happened. Simpson just made sure the game was already out of reach by the time that happened.
DeBoer and Grubb believe that competition breeds the best out of everyone. They were hoping Simpson would respond exactly the way he did. He completed all 17 of his pass attempts and led Alabama to five touchdowns in the five possessions he was in the game for.
Alabama needs Simpson to keep improving week by week in order to achieve its goals. There will be further tests. But Simpson passed this one with flying colors.
Kane Wommack wants Alabama's defense to produce more sacks
Listening to Kane Wommack's press conference on Monday, you wouldn't have guessed that his defense pitched a shutout on Saturday and allowed only 148 total yards. The domination was even more severe than the final stats indicated. UL Monroe didn't even cross midfield until the fourth quarter, and that was aided by a questionable targeting penalty on Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.
It was a dominant effort by the Crimson Tide's defense. But Wommack wants and expects more out of them, particularly with the pass rush.
Through two games, Alabama has only produced one sack, and that was by safety Keon Sabb in the loss to Florida State.
Alabama got plenty of pressure against the Warhawks - 11 on 18 pass attempts to be precise. But at some point, those pressures have to lead to sacks.
Bray Hubbard's leadership and accountability on full display
No Alabama player received more criticism in the aftermath of the loss to Florida State than Bray Hubbard. A viral clip of Hubbard loafing on a play against Florida State drew the ire of Alabama fans far and wide.
On Tuesday, Hubbard had his first opportunity to address the media. He showed accountability and leadership. He didn't pass the buck. He owned up to it and said he would use it as motivation to do better moving forward.
That's something Alabama can build on.