Alabama Football Announces 2026 Team Captains Ahead of East Carolina Opener
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Alabama football is officially in game week, and the Crimson Tide has revealed the three players who will lead the team into the 2026 season.
With Alabama set to open the season against East Carolina on Saturday, the Crimson Tide has announced its 2026 team captains, with wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams and defensive backs Zabien Brown and Bray Hubbard earning the honor after being voted permanent captains by their teammates.
Yea Alabama was the first to reveal the three selections Friday, just one day before Alabama’s season opener.
The trio represents three important pieces of Alabama’s roster, with Coleman-Williams leading the way on offense while Brown and Hubbard provide veteran leadership in the secondary.
Ryan Coleman-Williams leads Alabama’s offense
Coleman-Williams enters his junior season as one of Alabama’s most experienced returning offensive playmakers.
The wide receiver played in 14 games during the 2025 season and made 12 starts. He finished second on the team with 49 receptions and 689 receiving yards while adding four touchdown catches, which ranked third on the team.
Coleman-Williams also contributed 21 rushing yards on two attempts and 25 punt return yards.
His sophomore season was impacted by injury and inconsistency, but he still emerged as one of Alabama’s most productive offensive weapons. Now, as a junior, Coleman-Williams has been entrusted with an even larger leadership role.
His selection as a captain is also significant because he enters the season as Alabama’s most experienced returning receiver.
Zabien Brown continues to emerge as a leader
Brown has already established himself as one of Alabama’s most dependable players, and his selection as a captain adds another layer to his role heading into 2026.
The junior cornerback has started every game during his first two seasons with the Crimson Tide after arriving in Tuscaloosa as a five-star recruit.
Brown was Alabama’s top cornerback during the 2025 season, finishing with 39 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
Both of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns, tying him for the FBS lead in pick-sixes.
Brown has now started 30 consecutive games for Alabama and has consistently delivered in some of the biggest moments of his career. His experience and production make him one of the most important leaders on the Crimson Tide’s defense.
Bray Hubbard brings veteran leadership to the secondary
Hubbard is the lone senior among Alabama’s three 2026 captains and enters the season as one of the most experienced players on the roster.
The safety has started each of Alabama’s last 21 games after moving into the starting lineup midway through the 2024 season. He opened the 2025 season as a starter and went on to have one of the best seasons of his Alabama career.
Hubbard finished third on the team with 79 tackles while recording 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
His biggest impact came in the turnover department.
Hubbard led Alabama and the SEC with four interceptions, returning them for a combined 42 yards. He also tied for the team lead with six pass breakups and added three forced fumbles.
An All-American, Hubbard enters 2026 as one of the Crimson Tide’s most established defensive leaders.
Alabama changes how team captains are selected
The timing of Alabama’s captain announcement continues a relatively recent change under head coach Kalen DeBoer.
This marks the third consecutive season that Alabama has announced its captains before the season begins.
That differs from the process used for much of Nick Saban’s tenure. During Saban’s time at Alabama, players voted on permanent captains following the regular season, with those players announced during the team’s awards banquet following the SEC Championship Game.
Under DeBoer, the process has shifted to allow Alabama’s captains to be established before the season.
The Crimson Tide did wait longer than usual to make the announcement this year, however.
DeBoer explained earlier this week that Alabama initially placed more emphasis on establishing a unity council because there were fewer experienced players within the program.
“From the beginning there were less guys, I guess, that had experience in the program,” DeBoer said. “And so, we did select a unity council. I did it later than I normally would have. They’ve done a great job.”
DeBoer said the group served as a liaison between the coaching staff and players, helping communicate information in both directions.
“We just haven’t gotten to the point yet where we have captains. We’ll kind of decide that here as we go through.”
Now, that decision has been made.
Alabama’s captains will have a visible role in 2026
Beyond the leadership responsibilities that come with being a captain, Coleman-Williams, Brown, and Hubbard will also represent Alabama during the coin toss before games throughout the season.
The honor also extends beyond game day.
Every spring, Alabama’s captains have their hand and cleat prints immortalized in cement near Denny Chimes alongside the prints of past Crimson Tide captains.
For Coleman-Williams, Brown and Hubbard, that tradition will now include their names.
More importantly, the three players will be tasked with helping lead an Alabama team entering a new season with significant expectations.
With the season opener against East Carolina now just hours away, Alabama has its leadership group in place.
Now, the Crimson Tide will find out what that leadership looks like once the games begin.
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