For Alabama football fans, the LONG offseason is nearly over. The Alabama Crimson Tide will begin Fall Camp on Wednesday, Aug. 5, marking the start of another season.
The irony escapes some, but many Crimson Tide fans want to forget the 2025 11-win season as soon as possible. As College Football News' Pete Futiak recently asked, "How close is Alabama to being national title great again?" His answer was: "Further than everyone wants to believe."
Futiak added a mostly positive perspective about the 2026 Crimson Tide season: "It’s Alabama. It’s going to be great at college football. DeBoer is a great football coach. There will be plenty of wins, but that’s never going to be good enough."
Futiak's answer to his own question is debatable, but there is no dispute that the college football world doubts the Crimson Tide. And he is spot on with "that's never going to be good enough." Those few words are as much about Crimson Tide fans as they are about the attitude of the college football world.
On Sept. 5, the Alabama Crimson Tide must begin to prove that the 2026 season will not have the flaws of the 2025 season. All the offseason and preseason talking must be erased by action. Even sooner, at the beginning of Fall Camp and no later than the first camp scrimmage, around Aug. 15, action must replace talk. Especially talk about toughness.
For Alabama talking toughness is not enough
Kalen DeBoer has talked about toughness being necessary for success. Players have talked about being more physical throughout the offseason. Alabama safety Bray Hubbard was quite specific: "Play physical all, all year long." Alabama fans are justified in expecting Hubbard to back up his talk with action. Many other key Crimson Tide players have to prove their toughness.
There was a time, not that many seasons ago, when Alabama players talked about their toughest challenges not coming in games, but in Alabama practices and scrimmages. Such ferocious team vs. team play can increase injuries, but Alabama's toughness must return. And if it doesn't, Futiak's "never going to be good enough" will prove to be prophetic.
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