Kalen DeBoer stepped onto the stage Wednesday for SEC Media Days and made it clear that Alabama must run the football better in 2026.
For a program accustomed to powering through opponents with elite offensive line play and NFL-bound running backs, the 2025 season marked an unprecedented low point in the Crimson Tide’s modern era.
Statistically, it was the worst rushing season in Alabama history. The Crimson Tide’s ground attack averaged just 104.1 yards per game, ranking 125th nationally in FBS. The efficiency metrics were equally alarming, as Alabama ran for a meager 3.35 yards per carry on 466 attempts, placing them 15th in the SEC.
Alabama’s inability to run the football received full exposure over their final three matchups against Georgia in the SEC Championship and Oklahoma and Indiana in the College Football Championship, in which Alabama netted a combined 48 rushing yards. Improvements must be made.
“I think we’ve just got to do a better job,” DeBoer said at SEC Media Days on Wednesday. “In our league and our schedule last year, I think we had some very good run defenses. Very good defenses in general that we faced, especially in the latter half of the season. You still got to find ways to get the job done. We understand where that bar is at, what it’s gonna take to get the job done. Being effective, running the ball at a high level, we’ve got to work to accomplish that.”
With only one returning starter, Alabama’s offensive line has received a complete makeover through the transfer portal this offseason to help fix the issue of running the football.
“The guys that either returned, a Michael Carroll who took a lot of snaps for us, Will Sanders has taken a lot of snaps for us, DeBoer said. “There are some guys within our program, like a Jackson Lloyd. We brought in some players that have been at other places that have been on the football field in the conference, outside the conference.”
The Crimson Tide running back room lost their leading rusher from a year ago but returns their second- and third-leading rushers along with bringing in a talented five-star freshman EJ Crowell. Alabama’s running back room is also looking to improve and do their part to create a better running game.
"All of our running backs haven't had a chance to take those reps, mainly due to just injury status and EJ in particular," DeBoer said. "But there are certainly things like Daniel Hill, just body transformation because he's been healthier this offseason. Kevin Riley continued to grow and get bigger. I think those areas have happened, but I would say that the offensive line is the area where I've seen, you know, just us improving.”
"Again, we got to go out and prove it, DeBoer said. “Our guys know that, but right now, all we can do is focus on where we're at, and that's the summer months. These guys putting in the work individually. We put the pads on here in just a couple weeks."
The players and coaches can talk about what they are doing to improve the run game, but they have to go out and prove that the work has paid off when the season rolls around.
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