Heading into the offseason and in preparation for the 2025 campaign, Alabama Football figures to be formidable defensively next fall. Several high-profile players on that side of the ball recently announced their intentions to return, so the unit should be loaded with veteran leadership.
The Crimson Tide’s defensive front in particular should be very strong. The emergence of rising junior James Smith, along with the returns of standouts LT Overton and Tim Keenan III, should make this front line one of the nation’s best.
Still, the Tide did lose some reinforcements and quality depth up front. Jehiem Oatis hit the portal early in the 2024 season while Damon Payne and Hunter Osborne followed suit more recently. Tim Smith has exhausted his eligibility and will depart the program, while the status of redshirt senior Jah-Marien Latham is still uncertain.
Alabama's 2025 defensive line haul
So, how did Alabama fair in restocking its defensive line room? I would say pretty good. It didn’t land any standouts in the 2025 class, but Bama brings in a quartet of big bodies that could prove to be difference makers with some time to develop.
2025 3-star London Simmons is the only defensive lineman that the Tide added via the traditional high school recruiting avenue. The Mississippi product was something of an immovable object at the high school level, and could eventually become an interior presence for the Tide. He has some similarities to Keenan, who was also a slightly under-recruited 3-star back in the 2021 cycle.
Alabama also signed a pair of JUCO products in Steve Mboumoua and Kevonte Henry. Mboumoua originally pledged to the Tide in the class of 2024, but the French-speaking Quebec native needed a year at the junior college level to shore up his English and get into the University of Alabama.
Mboumoua is a physical freak and a raw prospect who grew up playing soccer in Cameroon according to his bio. Though he could take some time to develop, he should be a moldable piece of clay for Bama’s defensive coaching staff. In the long term, he will likely either play the Bandit role or be asked to bulk up even more and move inside.
Similarly, Kevonte Henry has taken a winding road to get to Tuscaloosa. He briefly played for Oklahoma before taking the JUCO route and becoming one of the most disruptive defenders in the country at that level. At Alabama, he will look to compete in a crowded edge rotation. The return of Overton (plus Jordan Renaud, Keon Keeley, and possibly Latham) means the Bandit group is already fairly deep.
Will Henry move to Wolf? Alabama is pretty thin at the position and Henry is listed at just 220 pounds on the official website, which likely makes him a better fit at Wolf even if he gains weight before the fall. Either way, he could help to improve Alabama’s pass rush in 2025.
Lastly, Bama picked up Kelby Collins via the transfer portal. A former top-50 recruit out of Gardendale, Collins spurned the home state Crimson Tide coming out of high school.
He spent two years at Florida, contributing heavily as a true freshman before his playing time and production both dipped as a sophomore in 2024. Overall, he recorded 29 tackles with 2 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks for the Gators.
Collins has a lot of Bandit traits and has drawn comparisons to LT Overton, who transferred from Texas A&M last offseason. There is a general belief that both Collins and Overton were played out of position at their respective first stops. Perhaps Collins can settle into a natural role at the Bandit and flourish just like Overton did.
In my opinion, Alabama made some very strategic moves to replenish its defensive line depth this offseason. It doesn’t have a bone fide 5-star prospect coming in, but it has a lot of versatility and brings in three players with previous collegiate experience.
We will see if Bama continues to add to its defensive line room via the portal, but it has already done an impressive job regardless.