How will Alabama football fare in 2025? Here are 25 way-too-early predictions

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The Tuscaloosa News
How will Alabama football fare in 2025? Here are 25 way-too-early predictions

Colin Gay, Tuscaloosa News · The Tuscaloosa News

Fri, Jan 3, 2025 ·

8 min read

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Alabama football's first season of the Kalen DeBoer era is complete.

With a 19-13 loss to Michigan in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl , the Crimson Tide officially turns the page to 2025, a season that is set to include many fresh faces looking to secure a College Football Playoff spot starting Aug. 30 on the road against Florida State.

How will the Crimson Tide do in 2025?

Here are 25 predictions for Alabama 's upcoming campaign:

Ty Simpson keeps hold on Alabama football No. 1 quarterback spot

Ty Simpson's time has come. The 2022 five-star quarterback sat behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe . Now, it's Simpson's turn to take the reins of the offense, a job he will secure early and keep for the 2025 season.

Oct 26, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) makes a throw during warmups before a game against the Missouri Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images

Keelon Russell finishes 2025 as Alabama's No. 2 QB, forces 2026 QB battle

While Simpson won't lose his starting spot, he will be pushed by 2025 five-star Keelon Russell . Despite having 2023 four-star quarterback Austin Mack , who Alabama coach DeBoer handpicked as the head coach at Washington, the Crimson Tide hasn't had a recruit like Russell since Bryce Young, which will quickly become clear.

Ryan Williams will be a finalist for Biletnikoff Award

The world was introduced to Ryan Williams early with a five-game stretch that rivaled any wide receiver in college football. The production waned and the freshman wall came, one Williams will burst through as a sophomore after a full offseason. Look for Williams to be in the running for Alabama's first Biletnikoff Award since DeVonta Smith in 2020.

Alabama WR room will face same reality as 2024

Alabama is getting help to fill out its wide receiver room in many different pieces. It won't matter much, though. Williams and Germie Bernard , who dominated Alabama's attention in the passing game, will do so again in 2025.

Jam Miller and Richard Young will each eclipse 100 carries

For the past three seasons, Alabama has had at least a duo of backs finish the season with 100 carries or more. And while Simpson can run, don't expect him to carry the workload Jalen Milroe did in the run game. Expect a return of the true "1A, 1B" running back tandem to return with Jam Miller and Richard Young .

Alabama will rev back up its position battle at right tackle

Elijah Pritchett and Wilkin Formby battled for reps throughout 2024 fall camp and into the regular season. The job seemed to open back up again in the Crimson Tide's win against Auburn Nov. 30 and in the ReliaQuest Bowl, where the pair basically split snaps at right tackle. Expect the battle between Formby and Pritchett to go into spring ball and back into fall camp.

Parker Brailsford will be a finalist for the 2025 Rimington Trophy

Parker Brailsford's first season in Tuscaloosa went relatively without a hitch. Even with a new quarterback, expect Brailsford's second year with Alabama to be even better, one that should put him on the radar for the Crimson Tide's first Rimington Trophy since Ryan Kelly in 2015.

Alabama struggles to find Tyler Booker replacement

Alabama seemingly has its answer at left guard in 2025 to replace Tyler Booker , who is expected to be a 2025 NFL first-round draft pick. The Crimson Tide added Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry , widely viewed as a plug-and-play starter. Geno VanDeMark , who rotated between both guard spots and played some center, could also be an option, but production-wise, the left side of the line will feel a bit less sturdy without Booker.

Michael Carroll becomes No. 1 option on second-team OL

Michael Carroll is too premier of a prospect not to play immediately. The five-star guard out of IMG Academy brings a 6-foot-6, 315-pound frame that could play not only either guard positions, but both tackle spots. Carroll does not seem like a project for the offensive line. Versatility could bring him onto the field quickly.

Alabama continues streak of averaging more than 30 points per game

Alabama has not had a season where its offense has averaged fewer than 30 points per game since 2007: the Crimson Tide's last season with less than 10 wins. In DeBoer's second season at Alabama, that streak will continue.

Zabien Brown becomes premier SEC cornerback

Nov 30, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Zabien Brown (2) intercepts a pass intended for Auburn tight end Rivaldo Fairweather (13) during the Iron Bowl game between Alabama and Auburn at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama defeated Auburn 28-14. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

Zabien Brown did enough to start as a true freshman, a season where he finished as a freshman All-SEC. In 2025, Brown will develop into one of the premier cornerbacks in the league, ending the season as one of the top names on 2027 NFL draft boards.

Nikhai Hill-Green turns into Alabama's most productive transfer portal addition

Nikhai Hill-Green's veteran presence as a former All-Big 12 linebacker at Colorado , will prove to be tremendously valuable, finishing near the top of the Crimson Tide's tackling leaders list while continuing to be a ball hawk with multiple pass deflections and at least one interception.

Bray Hubbard leads team in pass deflections and interceptions

Time and time again, the Alabama coaching staff talked about how Bray Hubbard was ready to take the reins from injured Keon Sabb . Hubbard was a product of a ball-hawk Crimson Tide defense. Starting with Sabb in 2025, expect Hubbard's production to take a significant boost, leading the team in both pass deflections and interceptions.

Zavier Mincey slides in to start for Alabama at Husky

With Zavier Mincey's move to safety at the end of the 2024 season and into the ReliaQuest Bowl, the 6--3, 204-pound former five-star cornerback will take the versatile Husky position in 2025 in place of DeVonta Smith, giving the Crimson Tide the best of both worlds with experience at corner and safety.

No Alabama player finishes with more than five sacks

While Kane Wommack's defensive scheme highlighted ball hawks and a swarm mentality, it's one that did not generate much pressure, averaging two sacks per game, matching programs like Vanderbilt, Hawaii and Kennesaw State . With a 2025 defensive line recruiting class lacking a true answer at defensive end, expect the output to remain similar to what it was in 2024 with no Alabama player recording more than five sacks.

Dijon Lee plays the most snaps of any Alabama football true freshman

Even more than Carroll on the offensive line, Dijon Lee has the makeup of a freshman who could see the field almost immediately for Alabama, pairing his high production at Mission Viejo High School in California and his five-star status with his 6-4, 190-pound frame. Will Lee remain at cornerback? That remains to be seen with the body of a safety. But his talent will be showcased significantly as a freshman.

Darrell Johnson emerges as first 2025 freshman LB to see significant reps

Lee won't be the only freshman to see the field on defense in 2025. Johnson, a four-star out of Eastman, Georgia, came to Alabama as an inside linebacker, one who practiced with the Crimson Tide ahead of its ReliaQuest Bowl. But Johnson's versatility as a pass-rusher and in coverage will make him one of the more valuable pieces to Wommack's defense almost immediately.

Alabama will allow fewer than 20 points per game for the fourth straight season

Alabama's streak of allowing fewer than 20 points per game for three straight seasons may be much shorter than the Crimson Tide averaging 30 points or more for 17 straight campaigns. But the Crimson Tide will have the talent in 2025 to push that defensive streak forward.

Blake Doud picks up where James Burnip left off as Alabama's punter

Blake Doud, the reigning RMAC Special Teams Player of the Year and Division II's punting leader from Colorado School of Mines , will pick up exactly where James Burnip left off in 2025.

Ryan Williams returns a punt for a touchdown

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams (2) catches a punt from the Georgia Bulldogs during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images

Caleb Downs was the last Alabama football player to return a punt for a touchdown in 2023. Williams will end that drought in 2025.

Alabama will be in Coaches Poll preseason top-20 — but behind 3 SEC teams

Much like Alabama's place in final coaches poll ahead of the College Football Playoff, expect the Crimson Tide to be in the middle of the pack in the preseason Top 25 behind Georgia, Texas and Tennessee .

Alabama will have two losses before its second off week

Alabama will not survive its five-game opening stretch of SEC play before a Nov. 1 off week without two losses, with road games against Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina and home games against Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

Alabama rides November in-state stretch into the CFP

After the Nov. 1 off week. Alabama doesn't leave the state. The Crimson Tide will run the table against LSU , Oklahoma , Eastern Illinois and Auburn.

Final Alabama 2025 season prediction

Alabama will finish Year 2 of the DeBoer era in the College Football Playoff, earning an at-large bid with a 10-2 regular-season record.

But does Alabama football win 2025 national championship?

No. Alabama will advance past the first round of the CFP and lose in the quarterfinal.

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How will Alabama do in 2025? 25 way-too-early Crimson Tide predictions

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