Kalen DeBoer solidified his Alabama football roster in the spring. He impressively didn't lose a single player in the spring Transfer Portal window. Alabama was the only SEC team to do that. DeBoer brought in two tight ends to add depth to the Tide's thinnest position in West Virginia's Jack Sammarco and Troy's Brody Dalton.
The staff is high on Alabama's freshman class. A lot of that recruiting class will see early playing time. Maybe not in starting roles as the Crimson Tide brought back significant contributors from a year ago, but they will provide quality depth at multiple positions.
Guys like Lotzeir Brooks and Dijon Lee were the talk of spring practice at Alabama. Lee was unsurprising given his 5-star status. Brooks, however, flew under the radar as a recruit and yet looks ready to immediately contribute as a true freshman.
With spring practice over and the spring portal window closed, let's take a look at Alabama's projected depth chart heading into the summer:
Alabama's projected 2025 Depth Chart
Quarterback:
Starter: Ty Simpson (RS JR)
Backup: Keelon Russell (FR) or Austin Mack (RS SO)
Alabama hasn't officially named a starting quarterback for next season, but Ty Simpson is the leader in the three-man race. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said as much at the close of spring practice.
It's no surprise. Simpson is the most experienced QB on the roster. He's entering his fourth year of college football and has a year under his belt in DeBoer's system now. That doesn't mean the job will be handed to him, however.
Both Austin Mack and freshman phenom Keelon Russell made strides in the spring and both will continue to push over the summer and into fall camp.
Running Back:
Starter: Jam Miller (SR)
Backup: Richard Young (JR) or Daniel Hill (RS FR)
Depth: Dre'lyn Washington (SR), Kevin Riley (RS FR), AK Dear (FR)
Alabama has a talented and deep stable of running backs. Senior Jam Miller will be the No. 1 back, but with a more traditional QB taking snaps, there should be a lot more carries to go around.
Junior Richard Young figures to be the top backup, but redshirt freshman Daniel Hill had an impressive spring and should be in line for carries. Louisiana transfer Dre'lyn Washington is an experienced back who could push for playing time, too.
Wide Receivers:
Starters: Ryan Williams (SO), Germie Bernard (SR), Isaiah Horton (JR)
Backups: Rico Scott (RS FR), Lotzeir Brooks (FR), Jalen Hale (RS SO)
Depth: Jaylen Mbakwe (SO), Cole Adams (RS SO), Derek Meadows (FR), Bubba Hampton (RS FR)
There may not be a single position group more improved year-over-year than wide receiver. Alabama returns their top receivers from last season - Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard - but also seem to have found a reliable No. 3 in Miami transfer Isaiah Horton.
Horton opened a lot of eyes during spring practice and will be a perfect complement to Williams and Bernard.
Rico Scott flashed his potential during bowl practices last year and had a nice spring. No player may have impressed more in the spring than freshman Lotzeir Brooks. Despite the talent ahead of him, it's hard not to see him cracking the rotation this year.
Jalen Hale and Cole Adams are experienced options coming off of injuries. Derek Meadows looks like he'll be a matchup nightmare down the line. Jaylen Mbakwe is still learning after switching positions, but the former 5-star recruit is one of the best athletes on the roster.
Tight End:
Starters: Josh Cuevas (RS SR) and Brody Dalton (SR)
Backups: Danny Lewis Jr. (RS JR) and Jack Sammarco (SO)
Depth: Jay Lindsay (RS FR), Marshall Pritchett (FR), Kaleb Edwards (FR), Peter Knudson (SR)
Tight end was the biggest area of need in the spring portal window. Alabama finished spring practice with only one healthy scholarship option in Jay Lindsay. The Tide added two players - Troy's Brody Dalton and West Virginia's Jack Sammarco) in the spring window.
Josh Cuevas figures to be the top receiving option at tight end. Danny Lewis Jr. will get every opportunity to get on the field after DeBoer and company coaxed him out of the winter portal. Dalton and Sammarco figure to be the in-line options as replacements for Robbie Ouzts.
Lindsay, Marshall Pritchett, and Kaleb Edwards figure to provide some depth. Edwards might be the most talented TE on the roster, but he won't arrive in town until the summer.
Offensive Line:
Starters: LT Kadyn Proctor (JR), LG Kam Dewberry (SR), C Parker Brailsford (SR), RG Jaedan Roberts (RS SR), RT Wilkin Formby (RS SO)
Backups: Olaus Alinen (RS SO), Geno VanDeMark (RS SR), Joseph Ionata (RS FR), Michael Carroll (FR), Jackson Lloyd (FR)
Depth: Arkel Anugwom (SO), Micah DeBose (FR), Roq Montgomery (RS SO), William Sanders (RS FR), Casey Poe (RS FR)
Alabama returns three starters from last season's offensive line. Proctor, Brailsford, and a healthy Roberts is a nice place to start from. Formby seems to have locked down the RT job following the transfer of Elijah Pritchett. Alabama didn't go after any tackles in the spring window.
The competition appears to only be at left guard. The top challengers are Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry and Geno VanDeMark. VanDeMark saw time at all three interior spots on the line a year ago and figures to be the sixth man on the interior this season if he doesn't win the starting job. Dewberry seemingly had the lead coming out of spring practice, but there's a long way to go before the season opener.
Depth is a bit concerning on the OL as Alabama will be relying on a couple true freshman in the two-deep. Michael Carroll and Jackson Lloyd were two highly regarded recruits. Both had impressive springs for Alabama, but it would benefit both to sit and learn for a year before being thrust into action.
Defensive Line:
Starters: LT Overton (SR), Tim Keenan III (RS SR), James Smith (JR)
Backups: Kelby Collins (JR), Jeremiah Beaman (RS FR), Edric Hill (RS SO)
Depth: Jordan Renaud (RS SO), Keon Keeley (RS SO), Steve Mboumoua (JR), Isaia Faga (RS FR)
You'd be hard pressed to find a better starting trio on a defensive line than what resides in Tuscaloosa. Overton is a potential 1st round pick next year and could be an All-American. Keenan is as solid as it gets at the nose, and Smith could be in for a major breakout year as a junior. Smith turned it on down the stretch and played remarkably well against Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Alabama has versatile depth behind the starters, too. Florida transfer Kelby Collins has cross trained at both Bandit and DT; he will likely rotate at both. The Tide's Bandit depth is one of the deepest positions on the roster. Third-year guys like Jordan Renaud and Keon Keeley are ready to contribute, which has made it easier to let Collins move around.
Jeremiah Beaman and Edric Hill will be needed to play snaps on the interior. Kane Wommack will hope that one of Steve Mboumoua or Isaia Faga can give him some snaps, too.
Linebackers:
Starters: Qua Russaw (RS SO), Justin Jefferson (RS SR), Deontae Lawson (RS SR)
Backups: Jah-Marien Latham (RS SR), Nikhai Hill-Green (SR), QB Reese (RS FR) or Cayden Jones (RS FR)
Depth: Yhonzae Pierre (RS SO), Justin Hill (FR), Noah Carter (RS FR), Kevonte Henry (JR), Darrell Johnson (FR), Abduall Sanders (FR), Luke Metz (FR)
DeBoer and the staff identified linebacker as a major area of need for 2025 as soon as they got on campus a little over a year ago. They expected growing pains this season with a lot of true freshmen playing key roles.
Instead, a season-ending injury to Deontae Lawson and an extra year of eligibility granted for junior college players allowing Justin Jefferson to return, the Tide has a load of experience in the linebacker room.
Alabama added Nikhai Hill-Green from Colorado in the winter window. He could platoon with Jefferson or both could start while Lawson gets to 100%.
At the on-ball LB spot, Qua Russaw returns after an impressive sophomore season. Wommack moved Jah-Marien Latham from Bandit to Wolf to get a bigger body on the edge. That should help in the run game, with Russaw and redshirt sophomore Yhonzae Pierre getting after quarterbacks.
True freshman Justin Hill could crack the rotation as a freshman, too. He is highly regarded by the staff.
Defensive Backs:
Starters: CB Domani Jackson (SR), CB Zabien Brown (SO), SS Bray Hubbard (JR), FS Keon Sabb (RS JR), Husky DaShawn Jones (RS JR)
Backups: Cameron Calhoun (JR), Dijon Lee (FR), Zay Mincey (SO), Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. (RS FR)
Depth: Red Morgan (SO), Chuck McDonald (FR), Ivan Taylor (FR), Kameron Howard (JR)
Alabama has four guys at corner who would start at most programs. The Tide returns starters in Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown, and also added Utah transfer Cameron Calhoun and 5-star freshman Dijon Lee to the mix.
Lee took full advantage of Jackson's injury that held him out of spring and consistently made eye-popping plays. Wommack showed a willingness to rotate corners last year, so I would expect all four of those guys to see plenty of snaps.
Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb figure to start at safety. Hubbard impressed when he took over for an injured Sabb last year. Zay Mincey will keep pushing, however. Mincey made the swap from corner to safety during bowl practices and ultimately started in place of an injured Malachi Moore against Michigan.
Wake Forest transfer DaShawn Jones has the inside track at Husky, but redshirt freshman Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. has had a strong offseason and will continue pushing.