The Alabama Crimson Tide opened fall camp on Wednesday, and coach Kalen DeBoer wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room. When asked about the lack of respect and lowered expectations from the media surrounding Alabama in 2026, DeBoer kept it short and sweet.

“We are definitely aware,” he said.

That was it. A smirk, a grin, and five words. But those five words might carry more weight than any fiery press conference rant ever could.

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The numbers paint a clear picture

If you’re wondering what DeBoer is “aware” of, the preseason rankings tell the story. At SEC Media Days, Alabama was picked as the sixth-highest ranked team to win the conference. Sixth. In years past, the Crimson Tide were usually first, maybe second. This year, five teams landed ahead of them.

It doesn’t stop there. The coaches poll that just released had Alabama outside the top 10. ESPN’s way-too-early top 25 has placed them somewhere between 12 and 16 for months. The national media, and even the SEC media, is no longer viewing Alabama as the perennial powerhouse it has been for the past two decades.

DeBoer is going to use every bit of this

So the immediate question becomes: how does DeBoer weaponize this?

You better believe that inside that locker room, inside practice, inside those team meetings each and every day, DeBoer is letting his players know that nobody believes in them. He’s letting the quarterbacks know, whether Austin Mack or Keelon Russell wins that battle, nobody believes in them. He’s telling his wide receivers, Ryan Williams included, that the national perception is that they’re washed and the rest of the room isn’t good enough. He’s telling his secondary, a unit that could return all four starters, that nobody thinks they’re that good.

That’s the message, even if it might not be entirely true. And that’s the point. DeBoer doesn’t need the disrespect to be accurate. He just needs his players to feel it.

A motivated Alabama is a dangerous Alabama

The truth is, an Alabama team flying under the radar is a rare thing. For the better part of two decades under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide were the standard. They were the hunted, never the hunter. DeBoer finds himself in a different position entering year three, and he knows it.

A motivated Alabama squad playing with a chip on its shoulder could be a problem in 2026. The talent is still there. The infrastructure is still there. And now, for the first time in a long time, Alabama has something it hasn’t had in recent memory: a genuine underdog narrative.

We’ll see how it plays out on the football field, but DeBoer’s smirk told you everything you needed to know. He’s not bothered by the rankings. He’s grateful for them.