When Alabama loses games, it often comes on the back of a memorable QB performance, as we saw last year with Diego Pavia. The schedule is far from a cake walk for the Crimson Tide, and there will be quite a few great QBs on the schedule. Here are the six that, as of mid-May, could keep Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack and his staff up and night on the week of the game:
1. Thomas Castellanos
Honestly, Florida State is going to be a mystery going into the season. Obviously, the Seminoles won't be nearly as bad as they were last year, and I would expect a lot closer to what we saw in 2023, when arguably they were robbed of a playoff spot.
Last year was a disaster, and it started with the bad QB play from DJ Uiagalelei and the offense in general. Mike Norvell has gone into the transfer portal to find his QB and was able to bring Catellanos in from Boston College. The most dangerous part of his game is his mobility and running ability, which at times has been the Achilles' Heel for even some of the best Alabama defenses. Tallahassee will be rocking for this week 1 matchup, and if Castellanos is able to get going, the game could be much more competitive than most think it will be going into the season.
2. Diego Pavia
We all know what happened last year in Nashville as Diego Pavia put together the game of his life, keeping drives alive and never letting the Alabama defense get off the field. I expect things to be much different in 2025 as I'm sure Kane Wommack has had this game circled since last October.
We know how tough Pavia is and what he has brought to the Commodores program, and if there is any chance of Vandy winning two in a row over the Tide, it will start with him. This game will be interesting as well to see how Coach DeBoer does in revenge games. Nick Saban was near perfect in these situations, and this will be the first of a few on the schedule for this second-year staff.
3. LaNorris Sellers
Sellers set the world on fire during the second half of last season, nearly beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa and finishing the season with six straight wins, including beating rival Clemson in the final regular-season game. Sellers is a great runner and started to become a better passer the longer he was the man under center.
This year will truly show us how good of a QB he will be, but this is the type of QB that has given Alabama fits in the past. It doesn't help that this game is in Columbia, which can be the toughest place in the conference when things are going right. South Carolina hasn't had back-to-back good seasons since Spurrier, but things look to be on the rise in Columbia, and a lot of that success starts with how good Sellers can be in year 2.
4. Garrett Nussmeier
Nussmeier, going into the season, is the best quarterback in the SEC. Many draft experts have him as a first-round NFL draft pick next year, and the expectations for him are very high in Baton Rouge.
Alabama had its way with the Tigers last year, and the defense gave Nussmeier his worst game of the season in 2024, forcing him into two interceptions and rattling him for most of the second half. Nuss will be looking for a little of his own revenge in this one and will be looking to stop the two-game skid in Tuscaloosa at the start of November. He should have a great receiver corps led by Aaron Anderson. If everything goes as many expect for Brian Kelly's team, this will be a huge game with both SEC and playoff implications.
5. John Mateer
Mateer may have been the biggest get in the transfer portal going into the 2025 season for the Oklahoma Sooners. He was electric last year at Washington State, throwing for over 3,100 yards and running for nearly 900. He is coming into a much better situation in Norman, and as long as the wide receivers stay healthy with Mateer under center, the Sooners will be so much better than they were last year.
Year one in the SEC was a disaster for Oklahoma, and we might see them having the biggest turnaround this season. The loss last year in Norman is still a head scratcher for everyone in Tuscaloosa, and this team should be much better than they were a year ago when they come to Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 15th. This is another revenge game for the Tide, but they will have their hands full with Mateer in what may be a hot seat season for Brent Venables.
6. Jackson Arnold
Arnold may have the most questions about him going into the season. His time in Norman didn't go nearly as smoothly as many expected. He was one of the most celebrated recruits in recent memory for the Sooners, so much so that they may have pushed Dillon Gabriel out of the program.
Injuries came early and often for the Sooners, and no QB was going to be successful in that situation. We did see first hand unfortunately, how electric Arnold can be on the ground when he put over 130 on the ground against the Alabama defense. Now he gets a fresh start in Auburn with possibly the best wide receiver group in the SEC led by Cam Coleman and transfer Eric Singleton Jr. I think being in Auburn will help Arnold be closer to the high expectations coming out of high school and he will be a vast improvement over what Hugh Freeze has had under center the last two years. If this doesn't go well at all, it could very well be the end of the Freeze era on the Plains, but if things go great, this Iron Bowl in Lee County could be very electric.