You have to think that many Alabama football players have had enough. Enough of the constant disrespect toward the 2026 Alabama Crimson Tide. Focus on what can be affected and ignore what is beyond your control is sound advice and not just for athletes. But players are not immune to slights.
One word best describes the external perception of Alabama Football, post-Nick Saban. The word is doubt. The first post-Nick Saban team was determined to prove naysayers wrong. They came up short.
Doubt about the Crimson Tide has deepened rather than lessened. Most who follow college football love it. Now, for a third straight season, Alabama football players need to do something about it.
Alabama Football Lacking Elite Talent?
If one On3 source is correct, Alabama does not have enough elite players to become a top 2026 team. College football's top 100 2026 players were selected. Only four Alabama players were included. Making it worse, Alabama's top-ranked player was Yhonzae Pierre at No. 49. The others are Bray Hubbard at No. 58, Michael Carroll at No. 59, and Keon Sabb at No. 95.
Oregon has the most top 100 players with eight. Indiana is next with seven. Texas Tech and Georgia have six each, but all the Georgia players were ranked between No. 50 and No. 99. Miami, Notre Dame, Texas, and LSU each have five players in the top 100. Four of the Longhorns are ranked in the top 13 players.
Two SEC football teams, Arkansas and Vanderbilt, had zero players make the top 100 rankings. Florida, Mississippi State, and Auburn have just one player on the list; Texas A&M, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee have just two.
Generally, preseason player rankings don't much matter. But maybe they should for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Many Alabama football players can quietly, but determinedly, use them as everyday motivation to prove the rankings wrong. Rather than talking about disrespect, it is high time for Alabama football players to prove detractors wrong.
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