I was an ardent defender of Kane Wommack after his first season as Alabama's defensive coordinator. I thought, given the group he inherited and the lack of experienced depth, he did a quality job in his first season at the helm. Sure, there were hiccups along the way, but when the dust settled, the Tide was a Top 10 defense in terms of yards per play, a remarkable feat with the amount of new faces.
That stat gave way to major optimism that Wommack would coordinate one of the best defenses in the country in 2025. After one game, that optimism is no more. And in hindsight, the Crimson Tide's defensive lapses against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma should have been a far bigger warning sign that something wasn't right.
Wommack's "Swarm" defense was more akin to a scattering against Florida State. The Seminoles racked up 230 rushing yards as Wommack proved he learned nothing from QB-run heavy teams that took him behind the woodshed a season ago.
Wommack's defense, on paper, is built on attacking. It's everyone flying to the ball and playing aggressively. There wasn't a lick of aggression in action or play-calling by his defense on Saturday afternoon.
He coached timidly, again, and the players followed suit.
The scheme wasn't good enough. How it's being coached isn't, either. Take this clip posted on X by The Millers' Edge - a podcast hosted by a father-son duo of Corey Miller and former Alabama LB Christian Miller. They openly question what is being taught, and it's easy to see why.
Was already skeptical of this mug technique by the LB’s but I genuinely have no idea what they are teaching at this point.. hopping around at the snap, putting themselves out of position.. Guys ducking heads, shying away from contact, getting dragged… this is NOT The Standard! pic.twitter.com/ICYKS9sNtK
— The Millers’ Edge (@TheMillersEdge) September 1, 2025
Look at the LBs in that clip. Justin Jefferson and Colorado transfer Nikhai Hill-Green. Pre-snap, they creep up toward the line of scrimmage, but then bounce on their heels and immediately back track at the snap. On a running play. Against a team that only threw the ball 14 times in 63 snaps of the football.
A football adage is that you never want to be on your heels defensively. At that point, you're letting the offense dictate everything. In Tuscaloosa, it looks like that's being actively taught.
Kane Wommack's seat is hotter than Kalen DeBoer's
Alabama may not have the money to fire Kalen DeBoer anytime soon, but it can certainly force DeBoer to make staff changes. No. 1 on that list of potential changes right now is a complete defensive overhaul.
It's only been one game, and we saw the Alabama defense put together plenty of strong performances a year ago. There's time to right the ship, and there's talent to do so. But at this point, there's just zero confidence that the next time the Tide faces a mobile QB with a motion-heavy offense that they'll be any better prepared.
The biggest stain on Wommack last season was how putrid the defense looked against Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt. Nearly a year later, it appears that game taught the Tide's defensive coordinator nothing.
Wommack will need to do some soul-searching this week. He also might need to shuffle the personnel deck and put 11 guys out there who are going to play hard for 60 minutes. Because some of the lack of hustle and careless play cannot be allowed to stand. Not at the University of Alabama.
Wommack's job depends on it.