ESPN analyst Greg McElroy has identified a major weakness in the current Crimson Tide roster under Kalen DeBoer and conveys that it will be considerably different from the teams that won Championships during Nick Saban’s reign.
The difference is that Alabama’s 2024 roster does not have the elite depth of previous Alabama programs.
While appearing on the ESPN College Football Show, McElroy compared DeBoer’s current roster with teams from 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2020.
“Compared to the roster of 2015, the roster of 2016, the roster of 2020, 18, all those teams that were always in the mix for a national championship, they had unbelievable depth,” McElroy explained.
“This year’s team does not have the same type of depth that they’ve had in the past when they’ve won national championships.”
McElroy acknowledged the team’s championship potential while highlighting the risks.
“This team is contending again for a national championship,” he said.
“But if they get banged up the way they did a little bit last year, then that level of play could drop off a little bit and that could lead to an unforeseen loss at some point throughout the season.”
The depth issues were very apparent during Alabama’s 2023 season with DeBoer’s first year.
A number of key defenders missed significant time due to injury. Qua Russaw, their elite pass rusher, looked really good in the first couple of games, and then against Wisconsin, he got banged up and was kind of dealing with some injuries throughout the year. They lost Deontae Lawson to a knee injury at the midway point of the season, and their defense just wasn’t quite the same.
The secondary took hits as well. They lost Keon Sabb. They lost Que Robinson, who is a really good pass rusher, late in the year to a broken arm.
Greg McElroy Explains How Portal Exits Weakened Alabama’s Roster Depth
The analyst linked a lot of these depth issues in the aftermath of Nick Saban’s retirement. The coaching transitions resulted in a flow of portal departures that left big holes in the depth chart on the roster.
“It was really noticeable last year, and understandable too, by the way, with all the portal exits after Saban’s retirement, that when the starters got hurt, there was a bigger drop-off than what you would expect when watching Alabama,” McElroy observed.
This is a stark contrast to the Saban years, when the recruiting and player development allowed for little gap between the starters and backups in the program.
This season represents the beginning of Alabama’s 131st overall football season and its 92nd season competing in the SEC. DeBoer guided the Alabama program to a 9-4 record in his first season in 2024, and the expectation is that he will continue to build success in the Alabama program.
Alabama’s first game of the 2025 season is scheduled for August 30, 2025, against Florida State, with DeBoer’s side visiting the Sunshine State to kick off proceedings.
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