Somewhere between conventional wisdom and just wild-assed opinions, Alabama is said to have serious offensive weaknesses for the 2026 season. There are certainly sound reasons for doubt and concern. With one exception, Michael Carroll, the Alabama offensive line will be a 'who knows' question mark.
With a new offensive line coach in Adrian Klemm, and eight new offensive linemen, 'who' questions are inevitable. So is a 'how good' question that will not be answered in Week 1 against East Carolina. Many Alabama football fans are confident the O-line will be better in 2026. If not significantly better, then at least not so inconsistent in 3rd-and-long pass pro and short yardage running plays.
Tight end is another position group of concern. The Crimson Tide may not have a tight end who can produce as Josh Cuevas did for Kalen DeBoer's offense.
Alabama Football light on experience but heavy on talent
Enough of gloom and doom. The Alabama Crimson Tide's offensive position groups have some strengths. No more Germie Bernard is a big loss, and losing Isaiah Horton to transfer was less than ideal. But the Crimson Tide has an abundance of talent at wide receiver. The top two are expected to be Ryan Williams and Lotzeir Brooks. In a five or more player rotation for the position group, Alabama has several good options: returning players Rico Scott, Derek Meadows, North Carolina State transfer Nico Brooks, freshman phenom Cederian Morgan, freshman Amari Sabb, who was rated an athlete during the recruiting cycle, but expected to play slot receiver, and JUCO speedster Tyler Henderson. Light on experience but heavy on talent, Alabama is in good shape at wide receiver.
Alabama could be improved at running back. Daniel Hill and Kevin Riley provide the most returning experience. The duo is expected to share snaps with little-used, but highly touted AK Dear, and other freshman phenom, Ezavier Crowell.
There is room for debate for a bolder claim. The claim is that by mid-season, Alabama will be in a better position at quarterback than it was with Ty Simpson. Call it crazy optimism. But a soon-to-be NFL first-round selection will be followed by a better quarterback. When that will become a reality, and by which QB, is not known. What we do know from Alabama insiders who watched 2025 practice sessions is that Keelon Russell has an 'it' factor that Simpson did not have. Some suggest he will become Kalen DeBoer's best-ever quarterback.
If Austin Mack beats out Russell, Alabama will also be in great shape at the position. Mack lacks game experience, but he has years of progress in learning and fully understanding DeBoer's offensive system. If Mack is good enough to hold off Russell, he, too, could become a superstar.