Alabama football makes a move in ESPN post-spring top 25 rankings

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Spring practice wrapped up this week for Alabama football, and the Crimson Tide made a fairly decent move up ESPN’s post-spring top 25 rankings.

Alabama jumped to No. 16 in veteran college football reporter Mark Schlabach’s rankings, a five-spot rise since ESPN’s initial way-too-early 2026 rankings after the College Football Playoff National Championship in January.

The Crimson Tide are ranked one spot below Penn State and one spot ahead of Washington. Alabama’s five-spot jump trails only that of the Nittany Lions and the Utah Utes, who each rose seven spots overall. But the Tide also trail quite a few SEC teams in Schlabach’s rankings: Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU and Oklahoma.

Year 3 is crucial for coach Kalen DeBoer, and Schlabach echoes many a sentiment when he says a third straight four-loss season won’t be good enough at Alabama post-Nick Saban.

“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.com.

On the quarterback front, Russell sure looked like the favorite to take over for Ty Simpson this fall after his performance in last Saturday’s A-Day event in Tuscaloosa. The redshirt freshman completed 21 of his 33 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns. He threw one interception.

Redshirt junior Austin Mack was 6-of-12 for 101 yards. Mack threw one touchdown and one interception.

Finding a rushing attack — and the O-line to execute one — to balance Ryan Grubb’s offense and offset some of the pressure on Russell or Mack is tantamount for Alabama’s success this season. The Tide ranked second to last in the SEC in rushing yards per game in 2025.

Alabama football schedule 2026

Alabama will open the 2026 college football season against East Carolina on Sept. 5 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Here’s a full look at the Crimson Tide’s 2026 regular-season schedule.

Kickoff times and TV channel designations have not been announced.

  • Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina
  • Sept. 12: at Kentucky
  • Sept. 19: vs. Florida State
  • Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina
  • Oct. 3: at Mississippi State
  • Oct. 10: vs. Georgia
  • Oct. 17: at Tennessee
  • Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M
  • Nov. 7: at LSU
  • Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt
  • Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga
  • Nov. 28: vs. Auburn

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football moves in ESPN post-spring top 25 rankings

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