Jumbo Package: Alabama next up at SEC Media Days

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Happy Gump Day, everyone. Alabama will kick off the Wednesday session of SEC Media Days at 8:05 CT. Hunter De Siver has some questions.

Media members will be in and out of interviews with the players, and oftentimes scrum-style reporting leads to the subjects being asked the same question multiple times. There’s no doubt that Coleman-Williams will receive numerous prompts surrounding last season’s issues of reeling in the ball.

After a sensational freshman year that made him a national prodigy and put him on the cover of a renowned video game franchise, Coleman-Williams’ numbers were down across the board, and he had several drops to go along with it. He said during the 2025 season that the drops were a mental issue and not a physical one.

Nevertheless, DeBoer has mentioned throughout the offseason how consistent his wide receiver has become, and the 19-year-old himself has previously discussed his new role as a leader heading into Year 3. Can this maturity lead to glue-like hands from Coleman-Williams?

Coleman-Williams spoke to USA Today about his name change, which actually matches his birth certificate.

Nick Saban spoke to the team during a meeting last summer, and he asked Alabama’s players to consider what they wanted their legacy to be. That legacy question from the GOAT lingered on Coleman-Williams’ mind. It influenced his decision to opt for a uniform nameplate change ahead of his junior season.

“I was like, ‘It’s time for me to start my own legacy and put the Coleman-Williams on the back,’” Coleman-Williams told me.

“No one else has Coleman-Williams. You’ll see a Coleman, and you’ll see a Williams, but nobody’s got Coleman-Williams. It’s just starting my legacy for my family.”

What’d mom think of the adjustment?

“She loved it,” Coleman-Williams said.

So did his grandfather, Michael Coleman.

“Actually, my granddad, I’m the last male with the last name Coleman, so if I didn’t use Coleman, it would’ve been over,” Coleman-Williams said. “That was another reason, as well.”

May he have the transcendent season he seemed poised for as a freshman.

Pete Fiutak put out his Alabama preview.

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb helped crank up the DeBoer offense at both Washington and Fresno State, and it hasn’t clicked yet.

This year’s attack has plenty of Alabama-level pieces, but there’s a quarterback battle, the offensive line has to be night-and-day better, and the whole thing has to be more consistently unstoppable.

The Alabama Crimson Tide offense isn’t allowed to be 84th in the nation.

Bill Connelly has a few “ifs” that will determine if Alabama will contend.

If … Ryan Coleman-Williams got rid of the yips. Among regular targets, no one in the country suffered a higher drop rate than Coleman-Williams’ 13.0%. The QB of choice will desperately need him to look like the No. 1 receiver he was supposed to be.

If … Adrian Klemm is really, really good. Bama had its worst O-line in ages last year and is completely starting over in 2026. Klemm, the new offensive line coach, has his work cut out for him.

If … the portal delivered a defensive line. I don’t have many concerns about Kane Wommack’s defense; the secondary could be especially excellent. But six of last season’s top eight linemen are gone, and transfers such as Devan Thompkins (USC), Terrance Green (Oregon) and Kedrick Bingley-Jones (Mississippi State) need to contribute quickly.

As you would imagine, QB appears on his list as well.

Safety is one position group that doesn’t have many questions.

Jireh Edwards joins Alabama as a five-star defensive back, one who was ranked as the No. 32 overall player in the country per 247Sports’ composite rankings. In 2024, the 6-foot-2, 221-pound defensive back did a bit of everything, recording 92 tackles and six pass breakups while adding 17 tackles-for-loss.

Alabama has its answer at safety in Hubbard and Sabb, leading to limited snaps for the rest of the room. But with Alabama’s reputation of playing freshmen immediately in the defensive backfield, Edwards could find his way onto the field sooner rather than later.

Edwards is one of those dudes who showed up on campus looking more like a taxpayer dating to the Obama administration than a college freshman. And all indications are that he’s making it very difficult to keep him on the sidelines.

In yesterday’s Media Days action, SECession was a topic.

The solution isn’t walking away. It is finding realistic fixes to the sport’s woes and common sense compromises with the other powerful conferences, especially the Big Ten.

Sankey, in comments to CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello on Tuesday, seems to understand that. 

“I also think that if we just walked away from the NCAA, whether we’re frustrated or not, we’d be back in front of Congress in a conversation,” Sankey told CBS Sports. “So, my observation to our league is that’s not a priority for us. And so, the headline that’s developed – that there’s some breakaway being considered – that’s not actually what the answer was. There are frustrations, informing the ask that there has to be a better way, and we’re trying to work to improve the system.”

That last part is key. Improving the system, not creating its own, is what the SEC must do for the betterment of the sport. 

LaNorris Sellers spoke about the challenge of facing Alabama’s defense.

The Gamecocks appeared to have Alabama right where it wanted during last season’s game in Columbia, leading by eight points in the fourth. However, the Crimson Tide turned a 15-point quarter into a 29-22 victory.

That came a year after South Carolina scared Alabama in Tuscaloosa. For the trip back to Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2026, Sellers shared what made the Crimson Tide a tough team to play.

“I would say they’re super physical and they’re usually never wrong, if that makes sense,” Sellers said. “They’ve got a lot of good guys, a lot of good players on the back end and they don’t make a lot of mistakes, so you’ve got to take advantage when they do.”

Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea spoke glowingly about a couple of transfers from Alabama.

Offensive lineman Micah DeBose and wide receiver/return specialist Cole Adams are entering their first seasons with the Commodores.
At SEC Media Days Tuesday in Nashville, Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea was asked to comment on the two players’ progress in his program.

“Cole and Micah both have become really special members of our team and our program,” Lea said. “I think they’re at different points in their career. Both are misfits in their own right. They’ve been welcomed and created a sense of belonging for themselves in our locker room. It’s been fun to watch them take ground as members of our team, so we’re privileged to have them. And I know they feel a part of this program and what it’s becoming

Last, if Kalen DeBoer wants to avoid some serious fan backlash, Joey Fleming is one recruit that he must get.

Alabama and Clemson have separated themselves as the two programs Fleming has spoken most highly of since the spring. He was in Tuscaloosa in April to spend time with Kalen DeBoer’s staff, then returned for an official visit in June that reportedly left a strong impression.

Fleming has made clear the Crimson Tide have been on his mind for years, describing Alabama as a program he’s admired for as long as he can remember.

When you have an OL that has been substandard and the top OL prospect in the nation is in Huntsville, and grew up an Alabama fan, that dude simply can’t get out of the state. Hope for the best.

That’s about it for now. Have a great day.

Roll Tide.

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