Why Alabama football wants you to be excited about its 2026 pass rush
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When Alabama football defensive coordinator Kane Wommack looks at the Crimson Tide pass rushers and the defensive linemen he has at his disposal heading into 2026, he sees the kind of players he expected to coach at Alabama.
It’s their frames, he said. Their work ethic. Their attitude. And paired with a defensive backfield returning the majority of its 2025 production, Wommack can’t help but making sweeping statements about what his defensive front could do.
“It’s probably as exciting of a room as I have had since I have been here,” Wommack told The Tuscaloosa News.
Kalen DeBoer is not only excited. The Alabama coach is “fired up.”
He’s “fired up” about the returners, headlined by Wolf outside linebacker Yhonzae Pierre who emerged as the first true pass rusher of the DeBoer era with 14.5 tackles-for-loss and eight sacks.
He’s fired up about the newcomers, from a large 2026 class to a transfer class that includes players like USC defensive lineman Devan Thompkins, Oregon defensive tackle Terrance Green and South Carolina defensive end Desmond Umeozulu.
DeBoer says Alabama got longer. Alabama got bigger and more athletic. But to DeBoer, there’s more important things the Crimson Tide pass-rushing corps inherited.
“I think we got some guys that, both in the program and guys that have come into it, that really care,” DeBoer said. “Not just about what they can do personally and for themselves, but also care about being a great teammate. Captain-type caliber people that are coming in the program.”
People like Tim Keenan III: a former Alabama defensive lineman who is spending the week in front of NFL coaches and scouts at the 2026 Senior Bowl, one who developed in the Crimson Tide defensive line room under the tutelage of coach Freddie Roach.
And Keenan sees the continuity.
London Simmons spent his freshman season as Keenan’s backup, finishing with 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 266 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Simmons, Keenan said, is in for a “smooth transition” into one of the leaders of the Crimson Tide defense. Wommack echoed Keenan saying he expects Simmons to “take a totally different step” as a sophomore.
But Keenan wasn’t done, rattling off Steve Bolo Mboumoua, Fatutoa Henry and Jeremiah Beaman, who is set to return from a season-ending knee injury, as potential pieces to “dominate.” But domination takes time, especially with a plethora of new pieces from the portal, ones expected to make an immediate impact.
“The guys in there, you have to give them a chance to work, go to work, to gel, get the chemistry down,” Keenan said. “But I have a good feeling about the new D-linemen.”
DeBoer sees that vision. And he can hardly contain his excitement.
Like Wommack, DeBoer pairs that long, bigger and athletic pash rushing group with a secondary “that returns, really, every starter there.” DeBoer is “really looking forward to what the defense brings.”
DeBoer felt he had to pump the brakes on his excitement just a bit, though.
“I think we really, hopefully, upgraded. That’s my hope,” DeBoer said. “I can’t say we’ve done it because I haven’t seen them on the football field as a whole. But I really like the direction that it’s going.”
Alabama opens its 2026 season against East Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Kalen DeBoer is excited about Alabama football 2026 defensive line
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