The 2026 Alabama Crimson Tide will feel pressure like never before in the Kalen DeBoer era. Many believe that now is the time to take the training wheels off, and while 2025 showed improvement, the way that things ended leaves a sour taste in the mouths of many at the Capstone.

Kalen DeBoer and Alabama have hoped to remedy that by going strong in the portal, and for the first time, DeBoer will have a handpicked quarterback starting, no matter who wins the job. That places a lot of pressure on one man to make sure the calls and offense are looking good.

Ryan Grubb is the Alabama coach under the most pressure to succeed in 2026

It’s no secret that Alabama’s demise in 2025 was directly correlated to the falloff of the offense. Between Week 2 and Week 9 of the 2025 season, Alabama looked like the best team in the country, Ty Simpson was the frontrunner for the Heisman, and the Tide were rolling.

But it was not sustainable. The protection in the passing game started to reveal cracks in the foundation. Simpson began having to improvise, which led to pressures and sacks, which caused turnovers and injuries.

It was a downstream effect of one thing: a lack of rushing attack. Alabama finished second-to-last in the SEC in rushing yards per game. They return many of the same backs, alongside standout freshman EJ Crowell, but the big boys up front have undergone a massive overhaul.

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How Ryan Grubb can get Alabama’s offense back on track

After hiring Adrian Klemm and making a ton of moves up front, the belief is that Alabama will be much better on the ground, and to be frank, it couldn’t have been much worse. So the scapegoats are gone.

Alabama has the firepower on the perimeter of the offense, Keelon Russell looks to be blowing everyone away, and the biggest weakness of last season has been addressed.

It will be on Grubb to make sure that everyone eats.