If you imagined keeping up with Nick Saban at Alabama was akin to attempting to track Beyoncé during karaoke night, then hooray. Kalen DeBoer inherited the Alabama football team in 2024, getting his feet in shoes so cavernous they are historical markers. His first season was a rollercoaster: the Tide began strong, recording a 63–0 victory over Western Kentucky and breaking Georgia’s 42-game regular-season winning streak with a statement win. The win propelled Alabama back to No. 1 in the AP Poll, business as usual, right? Not quite.

With Jalen Milroe gone to the NFL, the Tide’s QB race is up for grabs. Former five-star Ty Simpson is the assumed favorite, but he has legitimate competition from transfer Austin Mack, who already knows DeBoer’s system, and true freshman Keelon Russell, who has been impressing in spring workouts. Whoever it is, he’ll have a deep set of receivers to aim for in the form of Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard, as well as a core of running backs such as Jam Miller. Alabama kicks things off with a road trip against Florida State (welcome to the deep end, Coach DeBoer), hosts Wisconsin at home, and goes to Athens against Georgia before September is over. Add in LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and the Iron Bowl at Auburn, and you’ve got a slate that could humble just about anyone.

Josh Pate, in the new episode of his podcast, talks about DeBoer’s program. “Kalen DeBoer came in last year, and you could very much categorize 2024 as sort of it was what it was. Fell off towards the end. Inexplicably ugly losses to Vanderbilt and then Oklahoma, I think, were the big sledgehammer.” Okay, let’s revisit two of Alabama’s most “memorable” moments of last season – the stunning loss to Vanderbilt and the outright embarrassing thrashing at the hands of Oklahoma.

Alabama, cozy at No. 1, unbeaten, off a dominant win over Georgia, rolls into Nashville as a 23.5-point favorite. Everybody’s anticipating a straightforward Tide win, right? Nope. Vanderbilt, the squad that hadn’t beaten Alabama in 40 years, chose to rewrite history with a 40-35 upset that left the world of college football slack-jawed. It was like seeing the underdog in a Rocky film suddenly score a knockout punch, complete with gritty effort from Vanderbilt’s QB Diego Pavia, who passed for 252 yards and two touchdowns and even rushed for 57 yards to put the seal on it.

Fast forward to late November, and Alabama’s troubles lingered with a 24-3 shellacking at Oklahoma. This was not merely a loss; it was a complete meltdown. The Sooners, bowl-eligible but hardly formidable, ran all over Bama’s defense for 257 yards on the ground, as Jalen Milroe threw three interceptions and hardly mustered 7 rushing yards on 15 attempts.

Josh puts out, “If you go out and get the offensive coordinator that you originally wanted, Ryan Grub, and you’ve got a guy, Ty Simpson, who is a program guy, the nation doesn’t know him yet, but he’s a former blue-chip quarterback…. Kalen DeBoer and this offensive staff should pride themselves of getting the absolute most possible out of those kinds of guys.”

After a year that had the Tide experiencing both sky-highs (such as beating Georgia) and face-plant lows (hi, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma), DeBoer’s in line for redemption, and he’s got some interesting pieces to play with. Ryan Grubb, the offensive coordinator, is fresh off a challenging year in the NFL. He is essentially Kalen DeBoer’s right-hand man and a major factor in his previous success at Washington. And then there’s Ty Simpson, the QB with everything but a whole lot of tape. With Jalen Milroe departed (and, honestly, DeBoer’s devotion to Milroe a hot-button topic all year), Simpson finally gets his chance. If Grubb can cast his magic and Simpson fulfills the hype, Alabama’s offense might resemble a whole lot more explosive.

“They’ve got a loaded wide receiver room, they’ve got what they consider to be four returning offensive linemen. They should be able to run the ball better than they did last year.” Alabama’s wide receiver room this year because it’s seriously stacked. You’ve got guys like Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard, who can catch anything thrown their way, plus a bunch of hungry newcomers like Isaiah Horton and Lotzeir Brooks, both of whom have been turning heads this spring. Isaiah Horton and Lotzeir Brooks, both of whom have been turning heads this spring. But it doesn’t matter if the offensive line can’t stand, and fortunately.

At left tackle, you’ve got Kadyn Proctor, a junior who’s already got All-American buzz and is a true force on the blind side. Next to him at left guard is Kam Dewberry, a senior Texas A&M transfer who’s been running with the first team and brings both size and SEC experience. In the middle, Parker Brailsford is back at center; he’s a senior who is a calming influence and holds the whole unit together. At right guard, Jaeden Roberts is back and healthy at last. He’s a redshirt senior with genuine power and a block-finish reputation. Completing the unit is right tackle Wilkin Formby, a redshirt sophomore with massive potential who’s expected to take a major leap forward this season.

Isaiah Horton joins the Kalen DeBoer’s Tide

Talking about that heavily stacked roster and offense coaching staff, let’s get into the frenzy surrounding Isaiah Horton, the 209 pound transfer from Miami who’s already creating a buzz in Tuscaloosa. Horton’s coming in is a big deal (both literally and figuratively). The guy is 6’4″, has SEC-ready size, and after a breakout year at Miami-56 receptions, 616 receiving yards, and fives TDs—he’s got the numbers to support the buzz. He’s not merely some transfer portal lottery ticket; he’s a seasoned playmaker who can line up outside or in the slot, providing Bama’s offense with a whole lot of flexibility.

Horton is just the type of player Alabama’s offense required to put last season’s woes behind them. He’s a big, physical receiver who can push around defenders and make those hard catches in traffic that Alabama at times lacked. And he’s got legit speed and hands to boot, which makes him a true deep threat who can stretch defenses and open up the field for everyone else. With his chemistry already simmering with QB Ty Simpson from their Tennessee days, Horton’s arrival should provide some much-needed juice and dependability to the passing game.

Horton and Simpson date back a long time-they played together in 7-on-7 games while growing up back in Tennessee, and Horton refers to Simpson as “my guy.” That comfort level they have from their high school days has translated to Alabama, and it feels like old times and at ease from day one. Horton even mentioned being reunited with Simpson was a big factor in committing to Alabama.