After week 1 of embarrassment, the Crimson Tide are back on their feet and started flexing muscle on the field, but off it? On the verge of cultural identity warfare. Alabama football just roasted UL Monroe 73–0 and then cooked Wisconsin behind Ty Simpson’s 4-TD flamethrower. Yet this time, the conversation back home is less about box scores and more about headcount. A record number of students are packing Tuscaloosa this fall, and the brand-new school president isn’t exactly doing victory laps. He’s worried the Tide might lose something even more valuable than a playoff berth: its culture.

Newly appointed Alabama president Peter Mohler didn’t hold back when he pulled up on the ‘Hey Coach’ radio show. “I am concerned that if we get significantly larger, we’re gonna lose a lot of that culture,” Mohler said. The man isn’t talking about first-down culture; he means the bond between students and faculty, the stories passed down, the campus vibe that made Alabama more than just a football factory. Growth feels like a win, but Mohler is asking if the Tide might be going too fast, too soon.

And the numbers back him up. Enrollment has jumped 3.7% from last year, crossing 40K for the first time just a year ago. Now it’s 42,360, the biggest haul in school history. Sure, that sounds like a dynasty in the making, but Mohler sees the hidden risk: overcrowded classrooms, watered-down faculty-student ratios, and a slip in the tight-knit identity that sets Alabama apart. “We want to make sure we’re big and big enough to be sustainable and make these big bets,” Mohler added, “but I want to make sure we don’t lose that culture.”

This is a school that has always tied its legacy to more than the gridiron. The football program, of course, leads the charge. Under Nick Saban, Tide athletes posted a 998 APR, the highest in the SEC, second-best in the country, and walked away with 656 degrees, including 103 master’s. Even this past spring, the football team hit a 3.29 GPA, the best in program history. That balance of athletic dominance and academic discipline is the crown jewel. Mohler isn’t trying to slam the brakes; he’s trying to keep that jewel from cracking under the weight of sheer numbers.

If you’re thinking, “Well, isn’t that a good problem to have?” Mohler’s already a step ahead. His point is that success without balance is just chaos in a shiny jacket. Alabama got big because of visibility, football clout, and academic expansion, but now the question flips: how big is too big? It’s one thing to sell out Bryant-Denny every Saturday; it’s another if the school loses the personal touch that helped make it a national brand.

Mohler slid into office on July 21, 2025, as Alabama’s 30th president, and he’s already waving the caution flag. Alabama can keep winning in classrooms and communities while chasing numbers that look good on rankings, but could chip away at tradition. He’s hinting at a pivot, less expansion mania, more sustainability.

And right when you think Alabama can sit with that conversation for a second, boom, the football calendar serves up a monster.

Alabama vs Georgia Week 4 heavyweight bout for Kalen DeBoer

Forget spreadsheets and enrollment charts, Tuscaloosa’s about to be a fight zone. Georgia opens as a 3.5-point favorite against Alabama, and this isn’t just another SEC Saturday. It’s the sequel to last year’s chaos, when DeBoer’s Tide ripped Georgia’s 42-game regular-season win streak to shreds with a 41–34 stunner. Kirby Smart’s 1-6 record against Alabama says it all; he’s got a Bama problem.

This time, the Dawgs are coming in 3-0, fresh off a 44–41 OT thriller at Tennessee, sitting pretty at No. 5 in the nation. Alabama, ranked No. 14, just dismantled Wisconsin and is riding momentum after Ty Simpson’s career day. But here’s the twist: this showdown is at Sanford Stadium, in Athens. Between the hedges. Georgia hasn’t lost at home in 33 straight games, a school record. Alabama already flinched in a hostile opener vs. Florida State. Will Sanford rattle them again, or will Kalen DeBoer handle them again?

Last year’s clash was cinematic: Bama dropped 28 straight in the first half, Georgia clawed all the way back, and then freshman Ryan Williams turned into a Marvel character with a 75-yard TD grab to retake the lead. Zabien Brown iced it with a pick in the end zone. That game was pure adrenaline. And Kirby hasn’t had his shot to run it back in Athens yet.

Kalen DeBoer’s not sweating the buildup. “Just pleased with the progress we’ve made the last couple weeks,” he said. “Felt like we took another step in many of the areas, and just gotta keep working here in the bye week, and getting, hopefully, some guys healthy, leading into Georgia. We’re in a fighter’s mentality mode right now.” That’s coach-speak for: the Tide are ready to scrap. Kirby Smart? Same energy. The man knows his squad needs to protect the home streak, avenge Tuscaloosa, and remind the SEC that Georgia isn’t bowing to anybody.