College football experts have repeatedly stated that the 2026 Alabama Crimson Tide will be short on experience. The statements are true on the offensive side of the ball. While there are also some question marks on the defensive side of the ball, many of Kane Wommack's future starters will have considerable game experience.
On defense, London Simmons will miss spring work. Jah-Marien Latham, Zabien Brown, and Bray Hubbard will be limited. Brown and Hubbard don't need much spring work anyway. In the fall, the pair, along with Keon Sabb and Dijon Lee, will arguably lead the best defensive backfield in college football.
Other clear defensive starters can be expected to emerge during spring. Yhonzae Pierre at Wolf is already a clear 2026 starter. Red Morgan has played quite a bit, though mostly in backup work. He is a probable starter at the Husky position. Alabama added Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson to start at inside linebacker. Woodson gained 35 games of experience with the Hokies, compiling 152 tackles, including 11.5 tackles-for-loss.
Hubbard, Brown, Saab, Lee, Pierre, Morgan, and Woodson will give Kane Wommack a solid (and experienced) nucleus to build the rest of his defense around.
Alabama Crimson Tide Offense
The starter situation is quite different for the Alabama Crimson Tide offensive brain trust. Michael Carroll will no doubt start at one of the tackle positions. Ryan Williams and Lotzeir Brooks are wide receiver starter locks before spring begins. Kaleb Edwards should come out of spring with one of the tight end starter roles. Beyond those four, opportunity abounds for a large number of Alabama's offensive players.
It is worthwhile to remember that at running back and tight end, and to some extent at wide receiver, player rotations are the norm. Alabama will rotate at least three running backs, and possibly more. Which one starts does not much matter. Tight ends will rotate situationally as well. A third wide receiver starter might be Noah Rogers, but Rico Scott, Derek Meadows, and freshman Cederian Morgan can be expected to play considerable snaps.
Will there be some spring surprises, with players not mentioned contending for a key roles? Absolutely, there will be; especially on the offensive and defensive lines.