ESPN's way-too-early top-25 rankings following spring ball have the Alabama Crimson Tide football painfully low

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ESPN's way-too-early top-25 rankings following spring ball have the Alabama Crimson Tide football painfully low
April 11, 2026; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; A pass intended for Ryan Williams is broken up by Jireh Edwards at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the Alabama A Day scrimmage.
April 11, 2026; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; A pass intended for Ryan Williams is broken up by Jireh Edwards at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the Alabama A Day scrimmage. © Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Alabama Crimson Tide is painfully low in the 2026 way-too-early rankings following spring ball, with some questionable teams in front of it.

The Alabama Crimson Tide is approaching the final practice of spring ball in Tuscaloosa. Of course, the crescendo of the spring season already occurred with A-Day this past Saturday, where Keelon Russell put the college football world on notice and standout freshman wide receiver Cederian Morgan stole the show.

But according to ESPN, that’s not enough to place the Crimson Tide in the top 10, or even the top 15, and there are more than a few teams in front of Alabama that will really make you scratch your head.

Alabama ranks 16th in ESPN’s way-t00-early top 25 rankings

“Kalen DeBoer’s teams went 20-8 in his first two seasons with the Crimson Tide, which might be fine at other FBS programs, but isn’t good enough at Alabama. The Tide have to become a more physical and disciplined team in 2026. They ranked 125th in rushing (104.1 yards) and must figure out a way to run the ball.”

“Former NFL assistant Adrian Klemm was hired to coach the offensive line. Keelon Russell and Austin Mack will battle for the quarterback job after Simpson left for the NFL draft. There were heavy losses in the front seven on defense after Lawson, Jefferson, Keenan and Overton turned pro. Special teams miscues were also an issue during the past two seasons.” – Mark Schlabach, ESPN

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The problem with Alabama at 16

Here’s my main issue with Alabama being so low. You can argue that the top 10 is set and that Alabama should be on the outside looking in. But in what world do the LSU Tigers, BYU Cougars, Oklahoma Sooners, and Michigan Wolverines project to be better than Alabama?

Most of those teams are dealing with a ton of turnover, if not rebuilding their program entirely in the case of Michigan and LSU. There is no question that Alabama and Kalen DeBoer have a lot of pressure heading into 2026.

But did we forget that this team finished in the top eight by the end of the season, and that their only major loss is quarterback Ty Simpson?

There is plenty of unknown in Tuscaloosa, but there is a lot more unknown in Baton Rouge and Ann Arbor, in my opinion, and for that reason alone, 16 feels a little low for the Crimson Tide.

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