The preseason Alabama disrespect may have just reached a new level of insanity

Kalen DeBoer has some legitimate questions to answer for his third Alabama football team this fall. The bulk majority of them are on the offensive side of the ball, starting with a revamped offensive line and a hopefully much-improved running game. There's also going to be a new QB for the third straight season, and depth at WR could be a concern if the Crimson Tide faces any more injuries.

There are many fewer questions on the defensive side of things. While Alabama is still searching for the right duo at off-ball LB, and a strong defensive line on paper will have to prove it on the field, by and large, the consensus is that Kane Wommack is going to have one of the best defenses in college football again in 2026.

Alabama's defense kept them in games throughout last season when the offense struggled. The Tide finished 11th in defensive SP+ a year ago, and they should be even better this season.

Well, unless you work for On3 and your name is J.D. Pickell.

Pickell listed his Top 10 college football defenses for this coming season, and there was a notable omission:

On3's JD Pickell excludes Alabama from his Top 10 2026 defenses

Alabama had one of the nation's best secondaries last season, and they returned almost all of the meaningful contributors in 2026. While Domani Jackson graduated, rising sophomore Dijon Lee saw plenty of action as a co-starter at corner with Jackson, and he'll line up opposite Zabien Brown to give the Crimson Tide one of the best CB tandems in the country.

Both Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard are back at safety, and Red Morgan is back at the Husky spot. Alabama has experienced depth behind the starting DB group with guys like Zay Mincey, Ivan Taylor, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Carmelo O'Neal, and others, to go along with 5-star freshmen Jorden Edmonds and Jireh Edwards. There's not a better secondary in college football.

At LB, Alabama lost its top three options off-ball from last season, but landed an impact transfer in Caleb Woodson from Virginia Tech, and has plenty of young talent ready to take over the spot next to him, with QB Reese, Luke Metz, and CJ Jones seeming like the top contenders.

On-ball, Yhonzae Pierre might be one of the best pass rushers in the country. He exploded once his number was called following the injury to Qua Russaw. Rising sophomore Justin Hill is ready for a bigger role, and Alabama added potentially impactful edge players Desmond Umeozulu (transfer) and 5-star Xavier Griffin (high school).

The defensive line projects to take a step forward even after losing contributors Tim Keenan and James Smith. Alabama added three priority transfers with Devan Thompkins (USC), Terrence Green (Oregon), and Kedrick Bingley-Jones (Mississippi State). That trio, along with organic growth from returners London Simmons, Edric Hill, Steve Bolo Mboumoua, and Jeremiah Beaman, among others, should allow for that unit to look more like the Tide defensive lines of old.

There's no question that Alabama should be on any ranking of the Top 10 defenses in college football for next season. In fact, they should be comfortably in the Top 5 instead of fighting for one of the last spots.

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