Alabama is now two weeks into fall camp, and with those two weeks of practice and interviews finished, we’re starting to get a better idea of what the Crimson Tide’s depth chart might look like in the season opener against Florida State on Aug. 30.

Below, you’ll find my projections for Alabama’s offense, starting with the quarterbacks.

Quarterback

Ty Simpson
Austin Mack OR Keelon Russell

Alabama has named Ty Simpson as its starting quarterback for the 2025 season. That decision was made official on Monday, so now it’s about determining who his primary backup will be between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell.

Russell’s talent made him feel like an easy choice in the early stages of this process, but Mack has performed well enough in fall camp to make this interesting. With Mack making better decisions, his biggest concern (turnovers) seems to have been addressed, while Russell is still adjusting to the college level and learning to take command of the offense. For now, I’ll lean Mack, but Russell making a move, at least up to the No. 2 spot, feels inevitable as he gets more comfortable.

Simpson will be more effective than people realize. Not only is he surrounded by almost everything he needs to succeed as a quarterback, but he also has the talent and ability to win from inside or outside the pocket. The ball placement/accuracy should allow his receivers to generate yardage after the catch, and his mobility should bring another element that opposing defenses must account for.

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Running Back

Jam Miller
Daniel Hill OR Richard Young OR Dre Washington
Kevin Riley OR AK Dear

One thing was made blatantly clear in the early stages of fall camp: Jam Miller is Alabama’s top running back, and as of right now, it’s not particularly close. The former high school track star brings a complete, three-down skill set. He’s easily the top back in pass protection, and you can get creative in how you use him as far as splitting him out wide and putting him in motion.

From there, things are a little less clear. We know Kevin Riley and AK Dear are down the depth chart, but those middle three (Richard Young, Daniel Hill, and Dre Washington) are all battling for a coveted spot in the rotation. I believe there will be three guys in the rotation, and we know one of them will be Miller. So who ends up being the other two?

I’m high on all of these guys, and I want it to be known that Young has been running second in line when a practice has been open to the media. That could very well be the case when Alabama takes the field against Florida State, but I’m a little bit higher on Hill and Washington. Hill is a 6-1, 244-pound Mack truck who brings deceptive ability as a pass catcher. Several of Alabama’s running backs are capable options in goal-line and short-yardage situations, but Hill makes the most sense there, too.

So then it comes down to Young and Washington. I could see it going either way, but Washington brings a little more wiggle. His compact frame (5-foot-9, 216 pounds) allows him to be effective between the tackles, but there’s more versatility in his skill set with the receiving chops and ability to make defenders miss. Meanwhile, Young is another quality hammer option who can punish would-be tacklers. I tend to lean towards Washington in that situation, but either way, Alabama should have a trio of solid runners in 2025 — plus some depth.

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Wide Receiver

X-WR
Isaiah Horton
Jalen Hale
Derek Meadows

Z-WR
Ryan Williams
Rico Scott
Jaylen Mbakwe

H-WR
Germie Bernard
Cole Adams OR Lotzeir Brooks
Aeryn Hampton

I love the versatility of this group. Horton is more of an outside-only option, but he brings a well-rounded skill set that people may not realize. Not only that, but his 6-4, 209-pound frame also brings a much-needed length element to Alabama’s passing game, which was sorely missed a season ago. I also want you to notice how he’s always making explosive plays in scrimmage-like settings. We heard about another one after the first scrimmage this past weekend, and that always seems to be the case. The Miami transfer may not be the No. 1 or even No. 2 option when it comes to target share, but I expect him to make a lot of big-time plays this fall, especially downfield.

Williams is expected to be Alabama’s top option in the passing game. He’s put on good mass this offseason, and he’s now got a year’s worth of experience to lean on to take that next step. Plus, I think you’ll see him move around more to create those favorable matchups. I love this entire wide receiver room, but Williams remains the top dog. Bernard is the steady, reliable pass-catcher who’s QB-friendly and can provide impactful plays in a variety of ways. He’s easily the most physical of the bunch, but he’s also an underrated deep-threat. Yes, it’s possible that he’s listed at the Z with Williams at the H, but I think Bernard will be the team’s primary slot who can — and will — play a lot outside.

Scott is another inside-out option who’s a borderline starter. Alabama’s coaching staff has raved about his offseason with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and David Ballou, even saying that he ran 23.4 mph on multiple occasions. That’s moving. Not only is he one of the faster players on the team, but he’s extremely physical. With the other guys available in that room, Scott might not technically be a starter, but I’m expecting him to make a significant impact this fall.

From there, we don’t know what it’ll look like. There are four, possibly even five players who could be in the mix for playing time. That list includes Hale, Adams, Brooks, Mbakwe, and possibly, Meadows. However, here’s the thing: we know Alabama won’t have eight to nine players in the rotation. In fact, you’ll probably only see five or maybe six. Should that be the case, who are the fifth and sixth options? For a while, I thought Brooks was a shoe-in to be in the rotation, but a lower-body injury has slowed him down in fall camp.

That’s opened the door for Adams to emerge as another slot option for the Tide. Right now, I’d lean toward Hale and Adams as those next options, but I do think Brooks pushes for time as the year progresses — and once he gets back to full health. He’s got game-breaking potential.

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Tight End

Y-TE
Danny Lewis OR Brody Dalton
Kaleb Edwards
Jay Lindsey

H-TE
Josh Cuevas
Marshall Pritchett OR Jack Sammarco

Tight end is easily the biggest question mark for Alabama’s offense. I have no idea what to make of this group with the season starting in just more than two weeks. We know Cuevas is positioned to be the primary option, but he hasn’t been 100% in fall camp. Neither has Lewis, for that matter. So what’s left? Lindsey and four newcomers (Dalton, Sammarco, Pritchett, and Edwards). Three of those newcomers arrived this summer, with Pritchett being the only one who was available in the spring — and he wasn’t 100% either.

Assuming health, Cuevas should be listed as the starting H or move tight end. Lewis is probably still the favorite to be the starter at the Y (inline option), but I won’t rule out Dalton pushing him for that role once he adjusts to a new level of competition after spending his first four years at Troy. It’s also possible that one or both of the freshmen, Edward and Pritchett, eventually push for time. They’ve both impressed through the early stages of fall camp. Cuevas being limited has even allowed Pritchett to get some time with the first team as that move option.

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Offensive Line

LT
Kadyn Proctor
Olaus Alinen OR Jackson Lloyd

LG
Kam Dewberry OR Geno VanDeMark
Olaus Alinen
Mal Waldrep OR Casey Poe
Micah DeBose

C
Parker Brailsford
Geno VanDeMark
Jo Ionata
Roq Montgomery OR Will Sanders

RG
Jaeden Roberts OR Geno VanDeMark
Will Sanders
Roq Montgomery OR Casey Poe

RT
Wilkin Formby
Olaus Alinen OR Michael Carroll
Arkel Anugwom

At this point, we know three of Alabama’s starting offensive linemen. Proctor is back for a third-straight year as the blindside protector, Brailsford returns for his third year as a starter for Kalen DeBoer, and Wilkin Formby seems to have taken control of the job at right tackle. Going into fall camp, we would’ve listed Roberts as another sure-fire starter at right guard, but new developments have made that anything but automatic.

DeBoer made it known this past weekend that Roberts has been banged up, which even led to the fifth-year senior missing the first scrimmage of fall camp. We don’t know exactly when the injury occurred, but after mostly seeing VanDeMark battling with Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry at left guard throughout the spring, we’ve since seen him battling more with Roberts at right guard in fall camp. In fact, we saw VanDeMark running with the first group at right guard in three straight practices that we were able to attend, with Roberts working with the second group.

More than likely, you will see a three-man rotation at both guard spots, with Sanders serving as the fourth option. Who starts? We don’t know. It could vary week to week, but assuming everyone is healthy, you’ll get a healthy dose of all three. If Brailsford is forced to miss any time, Alabama would likely move or insert VanDeMark in at center with Roberts and Dewberry instantly becoming full-time starters. Really, the bigger unknown is how things would shake out if one of the two tackles needed to miss any time.

Alinen replaced Proctor at left tackle back in the spring while Proctor was out with an injury, but that could’ve been due to how new the other options were at the time. We’ve seen Alinen continue to work some at both tackle spots, but we’ve also noticed that he’s seen action on the interior, particularly at left guard.

So does VanDeMark and Alinen act as the first two guys off the bench, with Alinen being the swing tackle? Maybe, but the two freshmen, Lloyd and Carroll, have also been consistently working with the second group at left and right tackle, respectively. I can see one or even both making a push at some point, but don’t be surprised if it’s Alinen, especially if someone is needed early in the season.

I have what an accurate depth chart might look like if you actually went through the various options at each position, but I don’t think Alabama is going to officially list all those names in that many places. So if you’re looking for what the official two-deep might look like for the offensive line, here’s a more accurate representation:

• LT: Kadyn Proctor / Olaus Alinen OR Jackson Lloyd
• LG: Kam Dewberry OR Geno VanDeMark
• C: Parker Brailsford / Jo Ionata
• RG: Jaeden Roberts OR Geno VanDeMark / Will Sanders
• RT: Wilkin Formby / Olaus Alinen OR Michael Carroll

Alabama won’t want to go past three players — and in most cases, just two. So while I do think Alinen will be another backup at guard, and VanDeMark will almost certainly be the Crimson Tide’s center if Brailsford misses time, I don’t necessarily think it’ll be listed that way.

We’ll find out soon enough.