Happy Thursday, everyone. A few days before A Day, Kalen DeBoer sat down with Next Round Live to talk some offense. Saturday will be a chance for either Austin Mack or Keelon Russell to take the lead in the QB race.
As spring nears its end with a final scrimmage coming Saturday, April 11 at the annual A-Day spring game, DeBoer said his ideal quarterback is “a guy who’s veteran (and) has got a lot of snaps under his belt.” Both Mack and Russell “have high ceilings” and fit that description.
“These two
guys have been in the program now,” DeBoer said. “They are not new. They are not transferring in. They understand the culture we want. They can lead in their own way, which is going to be different for each of them because they are different personalities. But it’s respected by the team. When these guys walk in the huddle, they are respected by the guys in the huddle. They are respected by the guys on defense because there’s production… and the team knows the character of these two that are competing for the job.”
Russell is the one with the fanfare thanks to his lofty recruiting ratings, but this thing will be won on the field. DeBoer also spoke about the run game.
It’s been among the top priorities for Alabama to fix this spring, and head coach Kalen DeBoer opened up about where it needs to improve with The Next Round on Wednesday.
“Across the board,” DeBoer said. Everyone takes some type of ownership. It starts with me. What’s it look like in practice? What are we really focused on? What are the drills and the physicality? Those types of things. Technically, are we doing drills offensively vs. defensively?
“What’s the scout team look like? Just not what their scheme is, but what’s the caliber of the scout team look like that you’re going against every day? You can look really good in practice and it just be against guys that don’t give you much resistance.”
With the new 105 roster limit, teams can effectively have 20 more scholarship caliber players than they previously could. This is bad news for walk-ons, but good news for the quality of the scout team that Kalen is discussing. Alabama will have to cull a few before the fall to get down to the 105.
Alabama lost a commitment from a 2027 3-star cornerback, which had been widely expected.
Johnson is the fourth 2027 prospect to end his commitment to Alabama along with Mobile four-star defensive end Jabarrius Garror, Phenix City four-star offensive lineman Jatori Williams and Pell City four-star linebacker Ba’Roc Willis.
Alabaster four-star quarterback Trent Seaborn, New Jersey four-star tight end Colt Lumpris and New York three-star tight end Oakley Keegan are Alabama’s only commitments in the 2027 recruiting class.
On NFL front office thinks that Kadyn Proctor still has top 5 potential, but questions his desire.
Here’s what an anonymous NFL executive said about Proctor (via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN): “He should be a top-five pick,” the exec said. “He can be so good if he wants to be.”
The good news for Proctor (or whichever team takes him) is that weight issues can always be addressed.
His talent and immense potential alone may be enough for any team to look past his weight, draft him, and take care of the rest later on. There just seems to be a ton of potential in Proctor, who should hear his name before the first day of the 2026 NFL Draft concludes.
Proctor played for three seasons with the Alabama football team, appearing in 40 games and earning an 85.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
That’s not good.
Last, I was remiss yesterday in not mentioning that Labaron Philon officially announced his intention to enter the NBA Draft.
“I thank God and give him all the glory for blessing me with the last two years in Tuscaloosa,” Philon wrote in his announcement. “Returning for my sophomore season and representing my home state was one of the biggest blessings in my life. Being a kid from Mobile, wearing the Script A on my chest means everything to me and it has been one of the greatest honors to represent the Crimson Tide.
“This school and fan base has given me endless support since I stepped foot on campus two years ago. Thank you to Coach (Nate) Oats and the entire coaching staff for helping me develop into the player I am today. To my teammates, thank you for pushing me to be a better player and the friendships we have created will last a lifetime.”
This is a surprise to no one, as ‘Baron is widely expected to go in the top half of the first round. Go be great, dude.
That’s about it for now. Have a great day.
Roll Tide.
