USA TODAY Sports’ post-spring re-rank of all 136 FBS teams has Alabama football in top 10
How effective will Ty Simpson — or barring injury, Austin Mack or Keelon Russell — be at quarterback as he replaces two-year starter and SEC champion Jalen Milroe?
Ryan Williams is already a college football star, and Germie Bernard is capable of taking over games, but Alabama’s receiver room needs to step up after struggling to find a viable third option last season. To that end, coach Kalen DeBoer went out and added Miami Hurricanes receiver Isaiah Horton in the transfer portal and has talented freshmen in Derek Meadows and Lotzeir Brooks who could also make an impact.
As is the case every year, questions remain on the offensive line. On defense, Alabama lost talented linebackers Jihaad Campbell and Que Robinson, as well as defensive tackle Tim Smith and safety Malachi Moore from its 2024 defense to the NFL draft, and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack admitted during spring practice that he has concerns at some positions.
On Monday, USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg re-ranked all 136 teams that will compete at the FBS level in 2025 following the conclusion of spring practices across the country. Alabama was ranked No. 10, one spot below Miami and one spot ahead of No. 11 Illinois.
Alabama was No. 3 in USA TODAY Sports’ way-too-early Top 25 rankings following the national championship game in January.
Among SEC teams, the Crimson Tide were the fourth-highest ranked team in Monday’s re-rank behind No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Georgia and No. 6 LSU. Tennessee followed Alabama in Myerberg’s post-spring rankings at No. 12, Ole Miss was No. 15, Florida was No. 21, and Oklahoma rounded out the top 25.
Outside the top 25, LaNorris Sellers and South Carolina were No. 27, Texas A&M was No. 30, and Auburn was ranked No. 35 in USA TODAY Sports’ re-rank.
Earlier this spring, Myerberg said of Alabama:
“DeBoer is under pressure after an inaugural season with four losses and the departure of Milroe. Simpson is the expected replacement under center, and the skill positions look to be well-stocked with Williams likely to have even more impact in his sophomore season. Alabama will have a strong defense that has depth in the front seven and key returners in the secondary. While there’s plenty of talent, there’s still a lot of uncertainty about the state of the program compared to the Tide’s biggest SEC rivals.”
Florida State, Alabama’s season-opening opponent, was ranked No. 50 in Myerberg’s re-rank after the Seminoles’ disastrous 2-10 campaign last season. The Crimson Tide and FSU will meet Aug. 30 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.
