Alabama's players and coaches are not wasting a failure. A quick look around practice reveals a large number of players who have Rose Bowl towels attached to their pants. The humiliation in Pasadena is serving as a stark reminder of how much better this team needs to be in order to seriously contend for their ultimate goal.
That starts up front. It starts with the running game. Alabama could not effectively run the football last year against quality teams, finishing with one of the worst seasons in school history on the ground. For a program with a proud history of success running the ball, it was a stunning new reality for fans to accept.
Improvement in that department has been a major point of emphasis for the Crimson Tide this offseason. While a revamped offensive line and better blocking from the TE room will certainly help, Alabama's running backs know they have to be better in 2026, too.
That starts with junior Daniel Hill, who is at the top of the depth chart in fall camp.
"We know last year, it wasn’t up to standard, and that’s our mindset this year," Hill said after practice on Thursday. "We obviously have to be better, and we think about it every day. We’re gonna go out there every day in practice and work.”
Daniel Hill and Alabama RBs are putting in the work to flip the narrative in 2026
Hill is certainly leading by example this offseason for the Tide's running backs. He's put in the work to improve. He's dropped weight and looks noticeably slimmer and stronger. He played last season at around 244 pounds. He's listed at 234 pounds on the official roster and might be a little slimmer than that by the time the season starts next month.
Hill is still a big back. He will still be a load to deal with and bring down in short-yardage situations for defenses. But the hope is that by shedding a little bit of weight, he'll be able to add some burst and explosiveness that wasn't there a year ago.
Alabama tried to make a splash in the Transfer Portal with Hollywood Smothers, but after his flip to Texas, the Crimson Tide leaned on organic growth from returners like Hill, AK Dear, and Kevin Riley, along with freshmen EJ Crowell and Trae'shawn Brown, who they hope can make early impacts.
Improvement is necessary, but this feels like a group that might be a bit underrated coming into the 2026 season.
If Hill takes a step forward, and if Dear lives up to his significant recruiting promise as the No. 2 RB in the 2025 class, and if Crowell can hit the ground running as a freshman as one of the best overall players from the 2026 cycle, then there's a world where the RB room turns into an actual strength for the Crimson Tide this season.
If that's the case, and if the offensive line can show some real improvement, then Alabama's offense could be one of the best in the country, regardless of who wins the QB job.
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