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Alabama releases depth chart before 2026 season opener against East Carolina
- Alabama's Week 1 depth chart lists Keelon Russell ahead of Austin Mack and Jett Thomalla at quarterback for the East Carolina opener.
- Alabama listed Daniel Hill, Trae'shawn Brown, Kevin Riley, and EJ Crowell with OR designations at running back, signaling an unsettled or committee backfield entering Week 1.
- Alabama's offensive line depth chart includes Jackson Lloyd at left tackle, Racin Delgatty at center, Jayvin James at right tackle, and OR battles at left guard.
- Alabama's defensive front includes OR designations at Bandit and defensive tackle, while Luke Metz is listed at Mike and Caleb Woodson at Stinger.
- Alabama's specialist chart keeps competition open at kicker and multiple return spots, including Lorcan Quinn or Conor Talty at PK/KO.
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No. 13/11 Alabama Football Opens 2026 with 48-10 Victory Over East Carolina
- Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell accounted for 342 total yards in his starting debut, throwing for 256 yards and rushing for 86 yards and a touchdown.
- Alabama produced 487 total yards and scored on all six first-half possessions in the 48-10 win over East Carolina.
- Alabama's defense held East Carolina to 162 total yards and just two rushing yards, the Tide's fewest rushing yards allowed since 2021.
- Yhonzae Pierre returned an interception 27 yards for an Alabama touchdown while also adding a tackle for loss and a sack.
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What stands out about Alabama's defensive depth chart ahead of ECU
- Devan Thompkins is listed at both Bandit and defensive tackle, with Alabama planning to slide him inside on passing downs while using Desmond Umeozulu on the edge.
- Oregon transfer Terrance Green opens as the first nose tackle ahead of London Simmons and Isaia Faga, while Kedrick Bingley-Jones starts at defensive tackle in a heavily rotated front whose top three listed linemen are transfers.
- Freshman Xavier Griffin is already in the two-deep behind Stinger Caleb Woodson, while Luke Metz leads an inexperienced Mike linebacker group and Cayden Jones was omitted from the depth chart.
- Carmelo O'Neal is listed as Dijon Lee's primary backup at boundary corner, while injured Jorden Edmonds is expected eventually to rejoin the rotation.
- Ivan Taylor is listed third at strong safety but is expected to be the first safety off the bench, and injured freshman Jireh Edwards is reportedly on track to return sooner than initially expected.
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Projecting Alabama's two-deep depth chart for 2026 season opener
- Noah Rogers, AK Dear, Jeremiah Beaman, Jorden Edmonds and Jireh Edwards were not projected to play against East Carolina, while running back EJ Crowell remained uncertain.
- Keelon Russell and Austin Mack project as Alabama's top two quarterbacks, with Daniel Hill and Kevin Riley leading the available running-back rotation.
- Alabama's projected offensive line is Jackson Lloyd, William Sanders, Racin Delgatty, Michael Carroll and Jayvin James from left tackle to right tackle.
- Devan Thompkins projects to start at bandit end, Yhonzae Pierre at wolf linebacker, and Kedrick Bingley-Jones and Terrance Green at the two defensive-tackle spots.
- Alabama's projected secondary starts Zabien Brown and Dijon Lee at corner, Red Morgan at husky, and Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb at safety.
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Arkansas offense's first test comes against motivated North Alabama defense
- Arkansas football (0-0, 0-0 SEC) opens the season with the North Alabama Lions (1-0, 0-0 UAC) coming to Fayetteville on Saturday.
- Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m. (CDT), and SEC Network will have television coverage of the game.
- The Razorbacks enter their first year under Ryan Silverfield and his new coaching staff, with the offense being led by Tim Cramsey, who was offensive coordinator under Silverfield at Memphis...
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Calling Our Shot: Predicting the eventual team captains for Alabama football's 2026-27 season
- Alabama football is not taking the traditional approach when it comes to naming captains ahead of the regular season, Kalen DeBoer made clear this week. "We have not selected captains yet, which is why they haven't been announced," the head coach explained during the Monday press conference. "Going back to the leadership kind of from the beginning, there was less guys, I guess, that had experience in the...
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Why Ivan Taylor will have a 'more significant' role in Alabama's defense in 2026
- Kane Wommack said second-year safety Ivan Taylor will have a substantially larger defensive role after posting some of Alabama's highest tracked practice and offseason workloads.
- Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard remain firmly established as Alabama's starting safeties, making Taylor's expanded contribution most likely part of Wommack's regular defensive rotation.
- Wommack said Sabb has improved fundamentally and physically after spending last season recovering from an earlier season-ending injury and is now playing his best football.
- Taylor's teammates described him as a fast, aggressive downhill defender with ball skills and instincts who can be trusted to execute throughout the secondary.
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- DL: Alabama defensive line during a drill at practice today.
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- QB/LB: A late-bloomer at LB just picked up his first offer and is drawing SEC interest An Alabama QB commit keeps dealing A pair of under-the-radar 6-foot-3 WRs had monster games More on the Stars...
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'Talent is more equally dispersed': Former Alabama quarterback talks Crimson Tide heading into 2026-27 season
- Alabama's 2026 roster ranks No. 3 in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite, and Greg McElroy sees the talent as more evenly distributed across the roster than in 2025, supporting a steadier week-to-week floor.
- Quarterback remains the highest-leverage variable in Kalen DeBoer's offense. McElroy framed Keelon Russell as the high-ceiling option and Austin Mack as the lower-variance option; the article notes the interview preceded Russell being named the starter.
- McElroy views Alabama's schedule as more manageable than those of several SEC contenders, but flags the road trips to Kentucky and Mississippi State as meaningful upset-risk spots rather than automatic wins.
- He cautions that modern roster rules make Saban-era depth and internal accountability difficult to recreate, so Alabama can improve without matching the old dynasty's margin for error.
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- Defense: Final: North Alabama 22, Samford 10 North Alabama defender Kanijal Thomas with an interception in the end zone to end this one in Huntsville.
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- Pick/market: North Alabama goes up 9-0 on Samford with a safety.
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