Look, being an Alabama fan right now feels a little bit like watching a high-stakes game of Jenga. You know the one where every time someone pulls a block, you hold your breath hoping the whole thing doesn't just topple over? That's basically the vibe in Tuscaloosa as we recap the wild ride of the 2025 season and look at what’s happening right this second in January 2026.
Alabama football news 2025 wasn't just about scores; it was a total identity shift. Kalen DeBoer just finished his second year, and honestly, it was a rollercoaster. We went 11-4. For most schools, that’s a "build a statue" kind of year. For Bama? It’s a "what went wrong?" conversation. We made it to the SEC Championship but got beat up by Georgia (28-7, ouch). Then we won a playoff game against Oklahoma in Norman only to get absolutely dismantled by Indiana in the Rose Bowl. Yes, Indiana. In football.
The Portal Exodus: Who’s Actually Left?
If you feel like you need a spreadsheet to keep track of the roster, you're not alone. The transfer portal window just closed on January 16, 2026, and the list of departures is, frankly, long. We’ve seen starters and depth pieces alike heading for the exit. Wilkin Formby, who started every single game on the line last year, is off to Texas A&M. That one hurts. Then you’ve got the Ohio State migration—James Smith, Qua Russaw, and Cam Calhoun are all heading to Columbus.
It's easy to look at this and think the sky is falling. But here’s the thing: DeBoer is basically "re-skinning" the team to fit his specific vision. The 2025 season showed that while the talent was there, the consistency wasn't. We were 7-0 at home but looked like a different team on the road.
The New Faces for 2026
To fix the holes left by the 2025 departures, Alabama has been aggressive. They aren't just taking anyone; they’re hunting for specific fits.
🔗 Read more: Vertical Leap: What Most People Get Wrong About Jumping Higher
- Ty Haywood and Kaden Strayhorn: Both coming in from Michigan. If you want to fix an offensive line that struggled with road noise and blitz pickups in 2025, getting guys from the Big Ten isn't a bad move.
- Noah Rogers: A wide receiver from NC State who should give whoever is under center a vertical threat we occasionally missed last year.
- Nick Brooks: A massive 6-foot-7 tackle from Texas. He’s essentially a human eclipse.
- Josh Ford: The Oklahoma State tight end who might finally give the Tide that consistent middle-of-the-field safety valve.
The Quarterback Room Post-Milroe
Jalen Milroe has declared for the NFL Draft after a 2025 season where he was basically the entire offense at times. Love him or hate him, the guy was a playmaker. Now, the keys are being handed to Ty Simpson.
There's a lot of talk about Simpson being the "pure" passer DeBoer actually wants for his system. In the 2025 playoff win against Oklahoma, we saw flashes of what that looks like—quicker decisions, more timing-based routes. But let's be real: losing Milroe’s ability to turn a broken play into a 60-yard touchdown is going to change how teams defend us.
Bryan Ellis is moving over from tight ends to coach the QBs. He’s the guy who worked with Sam Darnold back in the day, so the pedigree is there. The question is whether he can turn Simpson into a Heisman-level distributor by the time we hit the 2026 opener.
Coaching Carousel: Shephard and Sheridan Out
The Alabama football news 2025 cycle wasn't just about players. The coaching staff took a massive hit. JaMarcus Shephard, the WR coach who everyone loved, is now the head coach at Oregon State. Nick Sheridan? He’s the OC at Michigan State now.
💡 You might also like: U of Washington Football News: Why Jedd Fisch’s Roster Overhaul Is Working
DeBoer brought in Derrick Nix to handle the receivers. Nix is a legendary recruiter in the South, especially in Mississippi. That’s a "calculated" hire. Alabama needed someone who could walk into a high school in the SEC footprint and shut it down. Shephard was great, but Nix brings a different kind of recruiting gravity.
Why 11-4 Felt Like a Failure
You've gotta look at the stats to understand the frustration. In 2025, Bama averaged over 42 points at home. On the road? That dropped to under 20. That is a staggering disparity.
The defense, under Kane Wommack’s "Swarm" system, was actually pretty good at creating turnovers—ranking 6th nationally—but they couldn't get home on the quarterback. Only 25 sacks all year. You can't give SEC quarterbacks that much time to eat a sandwich and find a receiver.
What’s Next: The 2026 Outlook
The 2025 season is in the books, and while it didn't end with a trophy, it set the stage for what is essentially "DeBoer 2.0." The schedule for 2026 is already looming, starting with East Carolina on September 5th, but everyone has September 19th circled. That’s when Florida State comes to Tuscaloosa. After losing to the Noles to open the 2025 season, that game is going to be personal.
📖 Related: Top 5 Wide Receivers in NFL: What Most People Get Wrong
Actionable Insights for the Offseason:
- Watch the Spring Game: Keep an eye on the chemistry between Ty Simpson and the new transfer O-line. If they can’t protect him in a scrimmage, the road games in 2026 will be a nightmare.
- Monitor the "Wolf" Position: With Keon Keeley and Jordan Renaud gone, the pass rush is wide open. Look for freshman Justin Hill to potentially start as a true freshman.
- Track the Running Back Room: With Jam Miller and Richard Young gone, AK Dear is the man now. He had some monster runs against ULM and Eastern Illinois last year; now he has to do it against Georgia and LSU.
The era of Saban’s shadow is slowly fading, replaced by DeBoer’s specific, portal-heavy blueprint. It’s different, it’s faster, and it’s definitely more volatile. But if the 2025 season taught us anything, it’s that Alabama is still in the mix, even when it feels like everything is changing.
Stay tuned to the local Tuscaloosa boards and the official portal trackers. The roster you see today might look 10% different by the time spring practice wraps up. Roll Tide.