Spring is the season of renewal. For the Alabama Crimson Tide, that is no different. After ending the 2025 season with a sour taste in the mouths of everyone surrounding the program, the Crimson Tide is a new look team in 2026.
Our first exposure to that look comes during spring camp. A lot of faces and players are familiar, but what about the new names in Tuscaloosa, or the young players who are finally receiving some real burn? Kalen DeBoer named who has caught his eye the most ahead of A-Day.
"A guy like Derek Meadows sticks out in my mind," DeBoer said. "You saw Lotzeir (Brooks) get on the football field at the receiver position, especially the second half of the season, but Derek is a long receiver that can really cover a lot of ground, has made a lot of nice plays here all spring."
"I think the other, you saw Kaleb Edwards at tight end a lot last year, but he's really taken the next steps, has had now a winter, an offseason, where last year he came in in the summer and had to hit the ground running. Marshall Pritchett, those two guys together, along with Josh Ford, who's transferred in, and Jay Lindsey, who was here before, are really guys at that position."
For Alabama, the loss of players like Isaiah Horton in the portal and Germie Bernard to the NFL will require players who played sparingly, if at all, to step up. Meadows, along with standout freshman Cederian Morgan, are two who Alabama hopes will answer the bell.
It's a similar scenario at TE, where the loss of Josh Cuevas has to be replaced in the passing game. Edwards being able to step into that role, alongside Marshall Pritchett and Josh Ford, as a run blocker will be imperative. But who has been shining on the defensive side of the ball?
"I think defensive back-wise, I mean, there's a lot of guys that are returning, and that's probably the biggest thing," DeBoer said. "But Dijon Lee is taking the next steps. Zabien Brown, those guys are all moving along. Ivan Taylor's had a nice spring, and Red Morgan's had a really nice spring, which that's a name that now has had two years on the football field. So, excited about some of those guys."
The big news here is Taylor. The son of Steelers legend Ike Taylor , a source confirmed to A to Z Sports that Taylor has shown out with Bray Hubbard missing time due to injury . I'm sure we will receive more information on how well all of the young players in Tuscaloosa.
The post Kalen DeBoer just hinted at which young Alabama Crimson Tide players should receive the most attention during A-Day appeared first on A to Z Sports .
