Kalen DeBoer and Alabama are gearing up for their SEC Media Day appearance on Wednesday, but in the meantime, we continue on ranking the entire Tide roster where we break down each player individually.

The only ones who won't be included are the three summer enrollees (Chuck McDonald, Kaleb Edwards and London Simmons) and freshman punter Alex Asparuhov, who was out this spring due to injury. That brings the total number to 78.

Previous roster rankings: Nos. 74-78, Nos. 70-73, Nos. 66-69; Nos. 62-65; Nos. 58-61

No. 57 – OL Michael Carroll

Previous ranking: N/A

Carroll was easily one of my favorite signings for Alabama in the 2025 recruiting cycle. This was a five-star recruit who checked in as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman, but at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds with 33-inch arms, the IMG Academy product has the needed size and serviceable length to survive at tackle. Will that be where he ends up long term? It's possible, but I feel like he'll eventually settle in at guard.

Alabama was short on tackle numbers this spring, so that's where Carroll helped out. Kadyn Proctor will be back and ready for fall camp, but there's a numbers issue outside. Proctor and Wilkin Formby both have experience and should start. From there, it's a guy who's been viewed as a guard (Olaus Alinen) and two younger guys who may not be ready to contribute (Jackson Lloyd and Arkel Anugwom). The interior is in much better shape, so I can see Carroll continuing his career off at tackle before an eventual move inside.

It’d be a situation similar to former Alabama offensive lineman Landon Dickerson. In fact, Carroll shares similarities to Dickerson with a physical, bully-like approach that features a nastiness offensive line coaches covet and love. He's going to be an excellent player in due time, and I wouldn't be surprised if he already starts to solve some of the depth issues as he gets more comfortable playing on the college level.

Projected role in 2025: Depth OL/ST

No. 56 – IOL Jo Ionata

Previous ranking: No. 46 (-4)

Ionata was only a three-star in the 2024 cycle, but I thought he was an underrated signing. He only played in two games as a freshman, but it was interesting to see his usage. He saw 28 snaps against Western Kentucky in the season opener and 19 against Mercer later in the year. Two blowout wins, but the amount of time he got in those games told me the staff wanted to get him some much-needed reps for the future.

The problem? The coaches have Parker Brailsford as the starter, but they also wanted to cross-train versatile pieces such as Geno VanDeMark and Roq Montgomery, who are both capable of playing guard and center and could be ahead of Ionata on the depth chart. That's probably why you didn't see him in as many games as others, but I still think he's got starting potential down the road. Ionata can probably play some guard, but he feels more like a pure center to me.

Ionata has a strong football IQ with good movement, and heems to fit where things are trending under DeBoer. We know Mario Cristobal and Miami really wanted him at one time, and I trust their offensive line evaluations. I won't be surprised if Ionata is the third-string center behind Brailsford and VanDeMark, but that probably won't lead to much playing time outside of mop-up duty.

Projected role in 2025: Depth C/ST

No. 55 – DB Red Morgan

Previous ranking: No. 29 (-20)

Morgan generated quite the buzz when he first got onto campus last spring. Despite his limited size (only around 6-foot, 180 pounds at the time), he showed the scrappiness and versatility that had many believing that he could be a first-year starter at Husky. Things didn't exactly play out that way, but the instate product did manage to get on the field for 178 snaps in 10 games on defense.

Here's the problem though… Morgan averaged 25.8 snaps through the first half of the regular season, and then from that point on, he only averaged 3.8 over his final six games. Obviously, that's not trending in the right direction. The size certainly hurt him at times, but there were also a couple of freshman hiccups in coverage that led to multiple explosive play opportunities for the opposing offense.

Going into the spring, two things made me believe in a second-year leap for Morgan: 1) he'd have another full offseason in the strength and conditioning program to get bigger and stronger and 2) he wouldn't be an inexperienced freshman anymore. Exiting the spring, I'm now left scratching my head on where he fits in. With injuries causing fewer numbers on the perimeter, he spent most (if not all) of the spring working at cornerback. Given his lack of size, that move continues to make sense even with Domani Jackson returning to the field and Chuck McDonald arriving on campus, as Morgan won't be asked to be as much of a physical presence in run support out there.

That being said, he might've gone from the clear backup at Husky in Year 1 to potentially CB5-6 if he remains outside in Year 2. And with the emergence of Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. at Husky this spring, no one should be surprised if that’s how it plays out, which is why I have him dropping down here to No. 55. That's a 20-spot fall, making this the biggest drop on the entire list. I still expect Morgan to be a contributor on special teams.

Projected role in 2025: Depth CB/Husky/ST

No. 54 – LB Abduall Sanders

Previous ranking: N/A

Sanders had some thumper qualities that gave me "old school" vibes when I was originally watching his high school tape. I ended up watching more of him though and came away even more impressed than I was the first time, especially when he was asked to drop. He's got some edge experience and could be a lethal off or even on-ball blitzer in Wommack's defense. Gives me Trezmen Marshall vibes in a lot of ways, but I believe there's more upside with Sanders.

He generated quite a bit of the buzz this spring, and while I don't necessarily think that'll lead to immediate playing time (or at least not consistent playing time on defense), it's encouraging. He was the lowest-rated of the three off-ball LB signings for Alabama this past cycle and only checked in as a three-star recruit, but he's already showing signs of far exceeding that ranking.

If developed correctly, he gives the Tide another potential three-down option for the future. But with Deontae Lawson, Justin Jefferson and Nikhai Hill-Green all ready to contribute in 2025, I don't think there's an easy path to playing time in his first season. Instead, he'll have to carve out a role on special teams (where I think he can be impactful) while getting ready to push for a significant role in 2026.

Projected role in 2025: Depth Mike or Stinger/ST