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NCAA, College League, USA Football: Rose Bowl-Alabama at Indiana Jan 1, 2026 Pasadena, CA, USA Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer speaks in a press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz after the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium. Pasadena Rose Bowl Stadium CA USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKirbyxLeex 20260101_lbm_al2_202
Imago
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Rose Bowl-Alabama at Indiana Jan 1, 2026 Pasadena, CA, USA Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer speaks in a press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz after the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium. Pasadena Rose Bowl Stadium CA USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKirbyxLeex 20260101_lbm_al2_202
Dropping from 173.8 rushing yards per game to a dismal 104.13, Alabama’s ground attack ranked 119th nationally last season. For a program that prides itself on physical dominance, a weak running game is a cardinal sin. Now, Kalen DeBoer is making it clear which unit needs to step up and become responsible.
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Speaking on The Next Round, DeBoer was not hesitant to open up about Alabama’s running game issues in ’25. Notably, he emphasized what the team was doing to address those struggles.
Kalen DeBoer on how Alabama will improve the run game in 2026, mentioning everyone “taking ownership” and being more “physical” in practice.
He also brings up that they have reevaluated the “caliber of the scout team”, wanting to ensure the starters are getting good looks. pic.twitter.com/5xdF6U51GA
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) April 8, 2026
“Across the board,” DeBoer said. “Everyone takes some type of ownership. It starts with me. What’s it look like in practice? What are we really focused on? What are the drills and the physicality? Those types of things. Technically, are we doing drills offensively vs. defensively?
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Alabama’s offense diminished in the second half of the season, and while Ty Simpson’s performances show a dip, a significant portion of the blame could be placed on the run game. Some of it had to do with the poor O-line play. It also didn’t help that Jam Miller wasn’t healthy during that stretch. It made the offense one-dimensional, and against defenses like Oklahoma, that’s just like playing with your hands tied behind your back.
Beyond the running back position, DeBoer is also keen on improving Alabama’s scout team. A team is as good as the opponents they frequently face in practice. Hence, a better scout team would definitely see the program improve its overall game.
“What’s the scout team look like? Just not what their scheme is, but what’s the caliber of the scout team look like that you’re going against every day? You can look really good in practice, and it just be against guys that don’t give you much resistance.”
“The coordinators, of course, are on each side of the ball evaluating their schemes along with the position coaches,” DeBoer said. “There are a lot of young faces. There are a lot of guys from tight end, to running back, to offensive linemen, where there were some young faces and new faces. So across the board, you’re just looking to be better in all of those areas.”
While Kalen DeBoer has to improve the running game, everything starts with the quarterback, and Bama currently doesn’t have its starter for the next season.
Alabama QB uncertainty
With Ty Simpson entering the 2026 NFL Draft, DeBoer has to pick a new starting quarterback for Alabama. And that task remains very complicated for him, as he is yet to decide between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell.
“It’s two guys that have high ceilings, and they’ve done a really good job for the most part all spring long,” DeBoer said. “I know I referred to in the scrimmage; it is not as sharp as they’ve been. Well, it’s because they’ve been very, very sharp all spring long, and so a little bit of drop-off wasn’t a bad thing for them to go through, because what’s their response going to be? That’s been positive here this week, seeing them come back and get back to that level and then some of what they’ve been through all spring.”
Luckily, both players are not new to DeBoer’s system. Russell is a redshirt freshman who was QB3 last season, while Mack has already spent multiple years studying DeBoer and Ryan Grubb’s system. Mack played four games last season, completing 75% of his passes and throwing for 228 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 22 yards and one touchdown. Russell appeared in two games, throwing for 143 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 16 yards.
In all likelihood, Austin Mack is expected to get the starting nod since he has been with the head coach since his Washington days. That gives him more familiarity with the schemes. We got a glimpse of his game against Indiana in the Rose Bowl. However, we still have a long way to go before the start of the season.
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