We're just two weeks away from Week 1 as the 2026 Alabama football season approaches quickly.
The Crimson Tide is wrapping up its third week of fall camp, and on Thursday hosted its second - and final - scrimmage of fall camp. The second scrimmage brought further clarity to the position battles still going on, and we're at a place now where the depth chart is really beginning to take shape.
Big decisions will have to be made by the staff in the coming days as they look to get the guys who are going to have big roles prepared to play the season opener against East Carolina.
Here's our final depth chart projection of fall camp.
Projecting Alabama's depth chart for Week 1 vs. East Carolina
Quarterback:
Starter: Keelon Russell
Backup: Austin Mack
Depth: Jett Thomalla, Tayden Evan-Kaawa, John Gazzaniga
The QB competition took a significant turn this week. While we've been projecting Keelon Russell as the starter since the spring, there was concrete evidence on Thursday to support it. Prior to the start of the scrimmage, On3's Chris Low reported that he expected Russell to be named the starter early next week.
That was backed up when Russell took the first snaps of the scrimmage, though Austin Mack still received his share of first-team reps. Mack has done what he can do, but Russell's talent is undeniable. The rising sophomore will raise the ceiling of the offense, and Mack immediately becomes one of the top backups in the country.
Running Back:
Starter: Daniel Hill
Backup: Kevin Riley or Trae'shawn Brown
Depth: EJ Crowell, Khalifa Keith, AK Dear*
Heading into Week 1, I'm confident that Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley, and Trae'shawn Brown are going to be in the RB rotation against East Carolina. Hill remains the projected starter, and Riley's experience should allow him to have a role, but the talk of camp has been the freshman Brown, and he won't be flying under the radar for much longer.
AK Dear was in a position to play a significant role, but he suffered an injury during the first scrimmage that will likely cost him the first month of the season. EJ Crowell is the most talented player in the room, but it's tough to project too much out of him right now with as much practice time as he's missed in both the spring and the fall.
Wide Receiver:
Starters: Ryan Coleman-Williams, Lotzeir Brooks, Rico Scott
Backups: Derek Meadows, Cederian Morgan, Tyler Henderson
Depth: Noah Rogers*, MJ Chirgwin, MJ Mathis, Aubrey Walker
With NC State transfer Noah Rogers injured, the competition for the starting spot alongside Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks has been predominantly between Rico Scott and Derek Meadows. We lean toward the veteran Scott at this point, but one caveat could be the health of Brooks. He's been hobbled recently, and it'll be interesting to see how much he plays in Week 1.
Regardless, there appear to be obvious roles for Coleman-Williams, Brooks, Scott, Meadows, and freshman Cederian Morgan. JUCO transfer Tyler Henderson has earned some praise in camp, but after the first five, there's a pretty big question mark in the WR room right now.
Tight End:
Starters: Kaleb Edwards, Josh Ford
Backups: Marshall Pritchett, Danny Lewis Jr.
Depth: Jay Lindsey, Jack Sammarco, Mack Sutter
Arguably the biggest bright spot of fall camp has been the growth of the TE room, both as receivers and in-line blockers. Kaleb Edwards and Josh Ford project to start, but there are roles for Marshall Pritchett and Danny Lewis Jr., too, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Ryan Grubb utilizes the growing NFL trend of 12- and 13-personnel in order to create some matchup advantages and help boost the running game.
Offensive Line:
LT:
Starter: Jackson Lloyd
Backup: Tyrell Miller
LG:
Starter: Mal Waldrep
Backup: Will Sanders
C:
Starter: Racin Delgatty
Backup: Casey Poe
RG:
Starter: Michael Carroll
Backup: Ethan Fields
RT:
Starter: Jayvin James
Backup: Nick Brooks
OL Depth: Kaden Strayhorn, Ty Haywood, Chris Booker, Jared Graham, Bear Fretwell, Bryson Cooley
Alabama appears pretty close to locking in the starting five above. The only competition has been at LG between Mal Waldrep and Will Sanders, and at RT between Jayvin James and Nick Brooks, but Waldrep and James appear to be ahead with two weeks to go.
I would expect Sanders to be the primary backup at all three interior offensive line spots, and he probably has the best chance of grabbing a starting spot sometime during the season as he continues to work his way back from injury. There's been a lot of optimism about the improvement of this unit in the last week.
Defensive Line:
Bandit:
Starter: Devan Thompkins
Backup: Desmond Umeozulu or Jah-Marien Latham
Depth: Fatutoa Henry, Caleb Smith, Nolan Wilson
DT:
Starter: Kedrick Bingley-Jones
Backup: London Simmons
Depth: Isaia Faga, Corey Howard
NT:
Starter: Terrance Green
Backup: Jeremiah Beaman
Depth: Steve Bolo Mboumoua
The biggest change from previous depth chart projections we've done is that it now appears that Mississippi State transfer Kedrick Bingley-Jones is going to start at DT over sophomore London Simmons, though Simmons will still see significant playing time. Alabama appears set to start all three transfers up front, with some quality depth behind them from returning players.
The Bandit position will see a lot of crossover with the Wolf LB room. Expect Yhonzae Pierre and Justin Hill to get some snaps there, while Desmond Umeozulu and Jah-Marien Latham could take some snaps at Wolf.
Linebacker:
Wolf:
Starter: Yhonzae Pierre
Backup: Justin Hill
Depth: Xavier Griffin, Bubba Odom, Jamarion Matthews
Mike:
Starter: Caleb Woodson
Backup: Abduall Sanders
Sting:
Starter: Luke Metz
Backup: QB Reese
Off-ball LB Depth: CJ Jones, Duke Johnson, Zay Hall
The biggest mover in the LB room has been sophomore Luke Metz, who is now the projected starter at "Sting" next to Caleb Woodson instead of junior QB Reese. Metz has had a terrific fall camp. So, too, has sophomore Abduall Sanders, and alongside Woodson, Metz, and Reese, those four should all see some playing time this season.
Freshman Xavier Griffin has practiced a lot with the off-ball linebackers, but we continue to believe his quickest path to an impact is off the edge at Wolf.
Defensive Backs:
CB:
Starters: Zabien Brown, Dijon Lee
Backups: Carmelo O'Neal, Zyan Gibson
Depth: Jorden Edmonds*, Nick Sherman*
Safety:
Starters: Bray Hubbard, Keon Sabb
Backups: Ivan Taylor, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Zay Mincey
Depth: Jireh Edwards, Rihyael Kelley
Husky:
Starter: Red Morgan
Backup: Chuck McDonald
Alabama has one of the best defensive back rooms in college football. At corner, depth is starting to be a small area of concern with Jorden Edmonds and Nick Sherman both dinged up. Mercer transfer Carmelo O'Neal is the top backup on the outside, but don't be surprised to see Chuck McDonald, who transitioned to the Husky role, get snaps on the outside, especially while Edmonds is out.
At safety, it's impossible to figure out playing time. Alabama has an embarrassment of riches with returning starters Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb, and then four quality backup options in Ivan Taylor, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Zay Mincey, and freshman Jireh Edwards. Kane Wommack is going to have to get creative to get all of those guys on the field.
Special Teams:
Kicker:
Starter: Lorcan Quinn
Backup: Conor Talty
Punter:
Starter: Adam Watford
Backup: Alex Asparuhov
Quinn and Talty will likely split time at kicker, at least early in the season. Whoever can be the most consistent will likely get the full-time gig.
At punter, North Alabama transfer Adam Watford seems like the safe bet, though Alex Asparuhov was well thought of as a recruit, and he's the son of a former Division I kicker.
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