College football has changed a lot in the last four to five years, all thanks to NIL. Unlike earlier, you can see the monopoly has reduced a bit. Of all the programs, Alabama has suffered the most. The Crimson Tide hasn’t won a natty since 2020. Now, with the playing field getting even, an Alabama legend urges Kalen DeBoer to follow Nick Saban’s methodology.

On February 7, Alabama great Roman Harper hopped onto 104.5 ESPN and urged that it’s about time Alabama football adapts to the modern renaissance of college ball.

“Alabama fans have this fantasy they live in fantasy, La La Land, right? That they have been so great for so long, college football is not what it was four years ago. It’s a reason why Nick Saban left. It’s a reason why Nick Saban lost two games the last three or four years of his coaching career every year. And so it’s hard. I can’t wait to see how they continue to build out this thing.”

According to many analysts and legend tale, the reason Nick Saban left is that he slowly learned dominance in modern college ball is now borderline impossible.

Mind you, Alabama is still a powerhouse, but the days of them dominating every single year are over because the playing field is finally level.
Before NIL and the transfer portal became official in 2021, Alabama could recruit the best players and keep them on the bench marinating until they were ready. Now, if a talented player isn’t starting immediately, they can just hop into the portal just like that. Harper feels that dominance edge has faded.

The big reason for this is simply dollars. Even though Alabama’s projected to be over $20 million for 2026, they just are actually being outspent by other schools. Programs like Texas and Oregon don’t think twice about pouring $40–$50 million budget range.

Since Alabama has been more conservative when it comes to paying the players. They choose not to overpay for unproven players, but that means they sometimes lose out on the bidding wars for the biggest stars in the transfer portal.

When it comes to the head honcho, Kalen DeBoer, Harper says he likes him as a person. However, liking a coach isn’t enough. Alabama needs to become a tougher football team under his leadership.

That means being more aggressive, more physical, and stronger mentally, especially in big games like the one against the Indiana Hoosiers. The Crimson Tide literally played like a D-3 college program. That 38-3 loss was their worst loss in modern history. Even former Alabama LB Nikhai Hill-Green believes they played their softest football in the longest time.

Roman Harper urges Kalen DeBoer to get Nick Saban’s approach to have any chance at a natty in the new era.

“Some point, you need more angry guys on that sideline. I’ve been there. That intensity matters. Alabama also has to become a more physical run team and do a better job stopping the run. If they can bring back that toughness and edge, the sky’s the limit for Alabama moving forward.”

‘Angry guys’ refers to players and coaches with intensity and fire, who don’t care to hold anybody accountability on the sideline. He believes that’s what the difference maker in the NIL area. More importantly, Alabama needs to bring back their identity: hard physical run football.

Alabama’s bread and butter

Alabama’s run game in 2025 was rough, with some experts calling it their worst performance in about 30 years. The team averaged just 3.35 yards per carry and roughly 104 yards per game, which is way lower than the dominant ground game Bama fans are used to. No one really stepped up as “the guy” Jam Miller led the pack but only managed 504 yards all season.

The good news is that 2026 is looking a lot brighter thanks to some serious new talent coming in. The biggest headline is the arrival of Ezavier “EJ” Crowell, a local superstar and the No. 1 ranked running back in the country who just finished a massive high school career with over 2,600 yards and 35 touchdowns. Since he’s already enrolled, fans are expecting him to provide that “home-run speed” the backfield was missing last year.

Beyond the new recruits, the returning guys expected to take a big leap of faith in the running back department. AK Dear, who was a top recruit himself, is returning after a quiet freshman year and is a prime candidate for a breakout season. Plus, you got Daniel Hill (284 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2025). With those two back and Crowell joining the rotation, the 2026 backfield has a lot more “juice” and should finally look like a classic Alabama run game again.