There may not be a team in college football who has as much as unknown heading into 2026 as the Alabama Crimson Tide. The turnover along the trenches, at the skill positions, among the front seven on defense, and of course the quarterback position, will be a defining mark in Kalen DeBoer’s era in Tuscaloosa.

For now, we don’t know how that will play out. In a few short weeks, spring ball will begin in Tuscaloosa, and while it will be a little early to make bold statements, at least we will have an idea of what the team looks like. Joel Klatt of Fox Sports isn’t waiting that long, however, making a bold prediction for the Crimson Tide in 2026.

Joel Klatt expects Alabama to take a major step back in 2026

“We all just assume that this program is going to be just fine and they’ll be great. But, the reality is that they have quickly descended into a place that, when I think about their conference, I don’t think about them initially, and I don’t even think about them in the top three,” Klatt said via the Joel Klatt show on YouTube. “When I think about the SEC, I immediately think of Georgia and Texas and, oh, by the way, Alabama.”

“They are on a trajectory that is down, and I don’t think that that is going to stop. They have to level out at some point in order to start going back up. But, I don’t sense that moment of them leveling out. I think that win against Georgia on the road last year was fantastic. There’s no doubt. But, man, I don’t see this team turning it around…I don’t love what’s going on going on down there.”

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Why it’s too early judge Alabama’s 2026 season

Klatt mentioned two other teams in his opinion about Alabama. The Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas Longhorns. There is no doubt that Texas has one of the best rosters in college football following Arch Manning’s return, the signing of Cam Coleman in the portal and the poaching of Hollywood Smothers from Alabama, among others.

That very team also lost to the Florida Gators last season when the program was in shambles, missing out on the CFP entirely.

Alabama on the other hand, despite having an injured quarterback, went into Norman and beat the Oklahoma Sooners in round one of the playoff. The Crimson Tide snapped Georgia’s home game winning streak that dated back to the start of the decade.

Sure, we don’t know whether Keelon Russell or Austin Mack will be the quarterback. We don’t know how the new offensive line will mesh and if the team can return to running the football. But Alabama’s trajectory is pointing up, not down.

They made a massive jump in year two under Kalen DeBoer and the next step is building off what was a devastating Rose Bowl. No, it’s not the same Alabama under Nick Saban, but that doesn’t mean the program can’t return to the pinnacle of the sport.

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