Kalen DeBoer has finally caught a break that doesn’t involve watching players pack their bags for greener pastures. The Crimson Tide has been hit hard this offseason with key departures. But Wednesday brought some much-needed relief to Tuscaloosa. Word broke that two of Alabama’s most important defensive starters would be sticking around for another season instead of chasing their NFL dreams.​

Alabama standout safety Keon Sabb and Bama star edge rusher Yhonzae Pierre are both currently expected to return to college for another season instead of leaving for the NFL. Both have been viewed as Day 2 NFL draft prospects. Sabb had been listed this month as “just missed” the top 10 safeties in the 2026 draft by ESPN’s Mel Kiper. And Pierre was ranked as the fourth-best outside linebacker in the entire class. The decision deadline was Wednesday for players with at least three seasons of college experience. And both Sabb and Pierre ultimately chose to bet on themselves by returning to Alabama. 

Keon Sabb’s decision to return is massive for the Alabama secondary. The Michigan transfer led all Alabama defensive players in snaps this season with 788. He started all 15 games and served as one of the team’s most reliable pieces in the back end. He finished 2025 with 52 tackles, one sack, one interception, and three passes defensed. 

Yhonzae Pierre’s return might be even more important for Alabama’s thin edge rusher room. Pierre absolutely exploded in the 2025 season. He was entrusted with the job after Jah-Marien Latham and Qua Russaw were out with injuries. Pierre led the team with 8 sacks, double that of anyone else on the team. He also tied for the team lead with three forced fumbles. His 14.5 tackles for loss were the most by a Crimson Tide defender since Dallas Turner in 2023.

For a struggling Kalen Deboer’s defense that finished the season with question marks all over the depth chart, getting both Sabb and Pierre back is nothing short of a home run. Pierre will be a redshirt junior in 2026 with two years of eligibility remaining. It means Alabama gets him for at least one more season and potentially two if he chooses to stick around. Sabb will be a redshirt senior, making 2026 his final college season barring any unforeseen circumstances. The Tide still has incoming freshmen safeties in four-star Jireh Edwards and three-star Rihyael Kelley. And there’s a chance Latham could return to the “Wolf” outside linebacker spot if he receives a medical redshirt for a seventh season. After all the portal chaos and roster turnover, this is some good news Alabama fans desperately needed to hear.​

Reinforcing the trenches 

The good news about Sabb and Pierre returning gets even better when you consider that Alabama’s defensive line is getting a complete makeover. The Crimson Tide will have three new starters up front after losing James Smith to the transfer portal. Tim Keenan III is out of eligibility, and LT Overton is heading to the NFL. That’s basically the entire starting defensive line gone. 

Alabama has already landed three defensive linemen: Devan Thompkins from USC (6-foot-5, 285 pounds), Kedrick Bingley-Jones from Mississippi State (6-foot-4, 320 pounds), and, most recentl,y Caleb Smith from Washington (6-foot-5, 270 pounds). Smith is a Birmingham native who was recruited to Washington by Kalen DeBoer himself before redshirting as a freshman in 2025. And now he’s coming home to help Alabama get back to its brand of physical, run-stopping defense.​

What these additions bring is size and versatility that were absent when Alabama’s run defense got gashed late in the season. Thompkins and Smith both have the length and athleticism to move around multiple spots on the defensive line. And Bingley-Jones brings 320 pounds of interior presence and SEC starting experience from his time at Mississippi State, where he logged 343 snaps in 2025 despite battling injuries. Combined with Sabb and Pierre anchoring the second and third levels, Alabama suddenly has the framework of a defense that can get back to controlling the line of scrimmage.

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