Jah-Marien Latham has been around the block. The 2025 season will be his sixth year at Alabama. He's been a part of some really good Crimson Tide teams during his tenure in Tuscaloosa. He's the last remaining player on the roster who was a part of Alabama's 2020 National Championship team.
Latham is well aware of what the standard is for Alabama football. He knows it better than most. He also knows what it takes to win a championship. It's what makes his comments about the 2025 Crimson Tide during the SEC Network's premiere of "All In", a documentary that followed the Crimson Tide's spring practice, so exciting:
"I ain't going to lie. I'm just ready to get this championship-winning going," Latham said. "Everybody, I like the work everybody putting in. I like the energy from the coaches and everything. It's the same type of vibe we had in 2020."
Alabama's 2020 National Championship team had a lot to prove. Coming off a disappointing 2019 season where the Tide missed the College Football Playoff, which came a year after a blowout loss to Clemson in the title game, the Crimson Tide played the entire season with a chip on their shoulder. It was one of the most dominant teams in college football history. Only Florida in the SEC Championship Game played Alabama within a single score.
Latham's comments don't mean the 2025 Tide will be as good as the 2020 version. There's an argument that the 2020 team is the best team in the history of the sport. But all championship teams have a certain mentality. That intangible is a must to win the whole thing, no matter how talented you think you are.
Everyone is saying all the right things about Alabama in 2025. But talk is cheap. We saw similarly impressive comments during the four-loss year in 2024 that ultimately fell flat. The results are what matter at the end of the day. And until the results happen, talk is just that. Talk.
Jah-Marien Latham could be a key factor for a potentially elite Crimson Tide defense
Along with providing a veteran presence, Latham could play a major role on Alabama's defense this season. Latham has spent the majority of his career with his hand in the dirt as a defensive end, but he made the move late last season to the "Wolf" linebacker spot in Kane Wommack's system.
At 6-3 and 265 pounds, Latham will give the Crimson Tide a bigger edge-setter, something Qua Russaw and others struggled to do last season, making Alabama more susceptible at times to the ground game.
Wommack has depth at his disposal at all levels of the defense. He'll be able to mix-and-match personnel in a way he couldn't a year ago. Even with roster limitations, Wommack led Alabama to the No. 10 defense in yards per play in 2024.
With more depth, experience, and versatility, Alabama could take another step forward defensively this season and become one of the best defenses in the country.