Which Alabama position groups have made the biggest strides in spring camp?
Alabama is now three-fifths of the way through its 2025 spring season, and there are a couple of position units that second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer has seen make the biggest strides.
The first is on the offensive side of the football.
“I think the group that is coming along and different than what we had last year was the receiving corps,” DeBoer said. “And I know some of those guys are the same guys, but I think the depth of them, of that group is certainly evident. Today, they made more of those plays and were very consistent, I thought.”
DeBoer liked what he saw from Alabama’s wide receivers in last Thursday’s closed scrimmage. Miami transfer Isaiah Horton scored multiple touchdowns last week, while second-year wideout Rico Scott, who was recently praised by a former teammate, also crossed the goal line.
The Crimson Tide lost six receivers from last season’s team to the transfer portal, but the group appears to be in better shape for Year 2 of the DeBoer era. Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams are back after leading the team in every statistical category a year ago. Jalen Hale and Cole Adams are back on the field after missing time because of injury in 2024. And Scott and Jaylen Mbakwe, who gained valuable reps in bowl prep, could take the next step.
Alabama also brought in three newcomers, including Horton and freshmen Lotzeir Brooks and Derek Meadows, giving the new Tide quarterback plenty of options in the passing game.
The wide receiver room has improved, but some of that is due to the competition they face each day on the practice field, as the other group that DeBoer mentioned was the secondary.
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Alabama welcomed back four defensive backs who started multiple games a season ago – two cornerbacks (Domani Jackson, Zabien Brown) and two safeties (Keon Sabb, Bray Hubbard). Guys like DaShawn Jones, Zay Mincey and Red Morgan also saw first-team minutes last year, while the Tide brought in Utah transfer Cameron Calhoun as a veteran option.
Younger players like Kameron Howard and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. are back, as well, while Alabama signed three talented freshmen – Dijon Lee, Chuck McDonald and Ivan Taylor. Numbers will not jump off the page, but they are better than a year ago, when the defensive backfield was hit the hardest after Nick Saban retired. This group is talented and another year older.
“I think the defensive backfield is something that is just completely different than what it was a year ago at this time,” DeBoer said. “I know they got better throughout the season, so I don’t want to say that they’re drastically improving right now. But they’re definitely playing with a lot of confidence.
“And so that matchup, whether it’s one-on-ones or seven-on-seven that we do throughout the practices, and then today in the scrimmage, that matchup is really great to see. You see big plays being made on both sides. You see the competitiveness, and that iron sharpens iron pieces, making both sides of the ball better.
“So those skill areas, I think, are improving a lot from where we were at a year ago.”
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