Happy Thursday, everyone. Kalen DeBoer spoke to reporters at the Senior Bowl. As usual, he keeps things pretty close to the vest but did share some insight on recent changes.
“It’s about production,” DeBoer
said. “We know we’ve got to be better there. Mindset. Execution. The details of the fundamentals the guys need. A lot of new faces are going to be in the room, so kind of a fresh start there.”
Kapilovic spent the last two seasons coaching the Crimson Tide’s offensive line. He had been out on the road recruiting before DeBoer made the decision to fire him.
“There’s different avenues and directions I was still thinking about going,” DeBoer said. “It just became apparent to me what direction I was probably looking to go to as the week went on.”
The offensive line left much to be desired. There is talent in place, now we just need to put it all together.
DeBoer seemed quite happy with his rebuilt front seven.
“I’m fired up about that group,” DeBoer said Wednesday while in Mobile for the Senior Bowl. “I’m fired up about what those guys bring. Both the returners and the newcomers that come in. I think we got longer, we got bigger, we got more athletic.”
Alabama saw a handful of players between the defensive line and edge rushers depart for either the NFL draft or transfer portal. Two starters on the defensive line, Tim Keenan III and LT Overton, are taking part in Senior Bowl practices this week. Other pieces that saw significant snaps who departed include starting defensive tackle James Smith, edge rusher Qua Russaw and defensive linemen Jordan Renaud and Keon Keeley, among others.
He’s similarly excited about the QB group.
“It’s huge,” DeBoer said of retaining Mack and Russell in 2026. “Two guys that know our system at quarterback. Just, again, with an offensive line that’s got some leaders that are gone, two quarterbacks that can carry over from last year, what we did and keep it moving forward.”
Alabama has one returning starter from its offensive line: Michael Carroll, who just finished his freshman season. The Crimson Tide added five offensive linemen in the 2026 recruiting class and another six via the NCAA transfer portal.
LT Overton named his sleeper picks for next season.
“Definitely my boy Edric Hill,” Overton said. “Him and Dijon Lee.”
Hill is heading into his fourth year with the program as a defensive lineman, having played in 15 games this past season with three starts. Meanwhile, Lee, a cornerback, figures to start at one spot opposite Zabien Brown this season. Lee will be in his second year with the program after playing in every game and starting five as a freshman.
“They can bring like a different type of want to, a grit to that defense,” Overton said. “I know Dijon being a young guy … picked up a lot, taking in a lot from the older guys that are over him especially in the DB and safety core. Edric Hill, he’s been there. It’s going to be his fourth year coming up in Bama. He knows the scheme. He knows how to handle himself well.”
Not sure Lee is in that category anymore. He is fully expected to be a star at this point. A Hill breakout would be delightful though.
Tim Keenan III is a big believer in DeBoer.
“Of course coming behind Saban, he’s going to be held to that standard,” said Keenan, who played for both coaches. “But coach DeBoer is great is in his own way. He got guys to go through a lot of adversity. The record doesn’t show the things we’ve been through and the things we overcame.”
DeBoer is 20-8 over his two seasons in Tuscaloosa. It has included highs of big wins against ranked teams such as Georgia twice and wins over rivals LSU and Auburn in back to back years as well as a win over Tennessee. But there have also been lows such as the season-opening loss to Florida State in 2025 and losses in games Alabama entered as the favorite.
DeBoer now heads into a pivotal third season leading the Crimson Tide.
“I don’t have a bad thing to say about coach DeBoer at all,” said Keenan, a 2025 captain. “I love him. He was very good to me. A great leader. Of course at the end of the day, he’s human. I was able to pick my coach up when he was able to pick me up.”
Shehan Jereyiah is not necessarily as high on him.
There were legitimate steps forward in DeBoer’s second season — and serious steps back. The Crimson Tide made it back to the SEC title game and CFP, but are still miles away from the national title contender they were under Nick Saban. With a third new QB in three years, DeBoer has to find a new identity.
Jah-Marien Latham has apparently been granted a medical redshirt and will return for a seventh season at Alabama.
“You feel the sense of urgency from Zeebo Latham,” Wommack told The Tuscaloosa News. “I don’t think people realize how important Jah-Marien was to us a year ago. He can play our Wolf. He can play our Bandit position. He can play 3-technique in a pinch. And when we lost him, we lost a lot of backup depth and versatility that we would have loved to have, you know what I mean, as we went into the rest of the season.
“Both of them will be back,” Wommack continued, initially answering a question about defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman returning from a knee injury.
Latham played in one game for the Crimson Tide in 2025, recording two tackles in Alabama’s season-opening loss to Florida State before leaving with a lower-body injury which kept him out against Louisiana-Monroe and Wisconsin.
Last, Nate Oats landed another big time prospect.
Top-25 senior Qayden Samuels has committed to Alabama over Georgetown, he announced Wednesday.
Samuels, a Maryland native, visited both schools in the fall, but opted to delay his decision past the early signing period in November.
“I had to decide whether I wanted to stay home or go away,” Samuels told ESPN. “My family was going to support either decision. When I went to Alabama, I loved the school. I met with the trainers, academic staff, and the athletic director, and I felt a strong connection.
“Nate Oats has been recruiting me and offered me since I was a sophomore. Georgetown and coach [Ed] Cooley have also recruited me for a long time. I have a high respect for the Georgetown program and Coach Cooley.”
Samuels is a great pull for the class, which is now in the top 10. Oats is still in hot pursuit of Caleb Holt, an Alabama native who is the top ranked guard in the class.
That’s about it for now. Have a great day.
Roll Tide.
