Kalen DeBoer's first season in Tuscaloosa was truly a rollercoaster as he replaced Nick Saban, with Alabama winning the biggest of games but losing some stunners to Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Michigan. Heading into Kalen DeBoer's second season, the Crimson Tide fanbase will be expecting a National Championship as is the expectation in Tuscaloosa.
While it's unfair to Kalen DeBoer, Nick Saban's success made a National Championship the only acceptable result in Tuscaloosa and for Kalen DeBoer the pressure to win will start this season. While DeBoer lost a ton of pieces to the NFL Draft, he may have a more talented team than he did in year one.
If Kalen DeBoer is going to win a National Championship in year two, these 5 players are most important to Alabama's season.
When safety Keon Sabb went down with an injury, the Alabama Crimson Tide quickly found out they had a superstar in Bray Hubbard. Once Hubbard was inserted into a regular role in the defense, he racked up 46 tackles, 3 interceptions, and a forced fumble in 7 games. Alabama now gets to deploy Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard together in the secondary with a great group of cornerbacks around them making this a dangerous defense.
One of the toughest and most important jobs in football is protecting the quarterback's blindside. The Alabama Crimson Tide head into the 2025 season with one of the best offensive tackles in the Country in Kadyn Proctor. The Junior heads into his third season as a starter on Alabama's offensive line, and with his size and experience, the Crimson Tide will have an elite pass protector and a mauler in the rushing attack. As Alabama breaks in a first-time starting quarterback, the trust Ty Simpson can have in Kadyn Proctor will be crucial.
When you're breaking in a new starting quarterback, there isn't a better resource than an elite wide receiver that will create a ton of separation and, when he's double-covered, create space for others. As a true Freshman, Ryan Williams quickly solidified himself as one of the biggest stars in the sport and will look to build upon it in year two. Alabama has a loaded receiving room, and with a weapon like Williams, Alabama's offense is a nightmare to guard.
The Alabama Football team gets arguably its biggest star on defense as Deontae Lawson returns for his Senior season. A season ending injury against Oklahoma cost him the rest of the season and NFL Draft preparation so he'll return to Tuscaloosa looking to prove he's still the same elite player. Lawson has been one of the focal points of Alabama's defense since he was a Freshman, and the Tide will lean heavily on his experience this season.
While Alabama hasn't officially named Ty Simpson their starting quarterback but, all Alabama's coaching staff has done is rave about the veteran. As a former 5-star recruit, Simpson waited his turn behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe with a chance to finally prove he's a quarterback capable of winning a National Championship. The biggest concern with Ty Simpson is the lack of experience as he'll likely suffer some mistakes as a first time starter in the SEC.
The good news for Ty Simpson is that he won't need to be Superman as the Crimson Tide return a loaded group around him. While Simpson is a more traditional passer than Jalen Milroe, he's shown in his limited playing time that he can make big plays with his legs. Alabama has won with plenty of quarterbacks the fanbase doubted and if Simpson takes care of the football, the Crimson Tide will be one of the best teams in the Country in 2025.
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