Multiple Alabama freshmen who are capable of making massive impacts in 2025 highlight the players to watch against Louisiana-Monroe
Alabama is set to take on Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday evening in Tuscaloosa. Here are five players you should be keeping an eye on.
The Alabama Crimson Tide is a little over 48 hours away from their first home run of the 2025 college football season. After a devastating loss to Florida State in the opener, this team almost certainly wants to get back onto the field so it can start to make things right against Louisiana-Monroe. Below, we highlight five players fans should be keeping an eye on Saturday, starting with an intriguing playmaker on offense.
RB Kevin Riley
We weren’t expecting Riley to have a significant role against Florida State in the season opener. Even with Jam Miller being on the mend, the expectation was for Richard Young, Daniel Hill and Dre Washington to share the workload at running back, but Riley was the third back to check in, behind only Young and Hill.
Not only that, but he was productive despite only getting 12 snaps. He totaled six touches (five carries, one catch) and 35 yards (31 rushing) while showing explosiveness getting to the second level of the defense. Granted, part of his opportunities could’ve been the coaching staff looking for more juice in the run game against the Seminoles, but I believe he did enough to earn more opportunities against Louisiana-Monroe this weekend.
WR Lotzeir Brooks
Brooks didn’t get a ton of snaps against Florida State (only nine), and he didn’t get any targets either. Still, I was surprised to see him rotate into the game fairly early, and with Ryan Williams currently dealing with a concussion, you could see Rico Scott and Brooks get sizeable, meaningful workloads in the slot.
Cole Adams is a steady, reliable target too, but we should note that he was held to just special teams snaps in Week 1 while eight different receivers saw action on offense. Germie Bernard, coming off an eight-catch, 146-yard performance, could also see more time in the slot, but we should mention that Bernard and Scott each played around 17.5% of their snaps inside on Saturday. Meanwhile, Brooks saw 88.9% of his action there.
CB Dijon Lee
Lee’s Alabama career got off to a rocky start. He only played five snaps in the game, but one of those came with him giving up a 40-yard catch downfield to Tennessee transfer Squirrel White. It was a difficult situation for the five-star freshman to be in considering it was third-and-long with a Cover 1 Robber call putting him on an island to the wide side of the field, but we’re expecting a bounce back.
Louisiana-Monroe has a big, long perimeter wide receiver by the name of Tyler Griffin (6-foot-4, 210). Last week, he hauled in three of his four targets for 32 yards and a touchdown. The Warhawks also have Rico Powers, who’s 6-2, 190, but I’m more intrigued to see Lee matchup against Griffin on the outside. Saturday can be a good opportunity for the California native to get back on track, should he continue to get meaningful snaps.
QB Ty Simpson
Simpson didn’t play poorly in his first-career start, but I’d also argue that he didn’t do anything to elevate those around him. This will be the redshirt junior’s first time starting in Bryant-Denny Stadium though, and the opponent is a lot more manageable. Now to be fair, Louisiana-Monroe did field a top-25 pass defense a season ago, and they’re currently ranked No. 6 nationally in 2025, so that’s at least something to monitor.
I’m still a believe in Simpson. Are there things he needs to work on? Absolutely, but Saturday’s game could be a nice confidence booster for him. Obviously, it starts with trusting his offensive line, but he’s also got to be better getting the ball to his primary read when it’s open and making plays on the move. Will this game be just what the doctor ordered? It depends on the energy level and focus of the Crimson Tide.
IDL London Simmons/Isaia Faga
Technically, there are six players on this list. Five of those are freshmen, whether they’re true or redshirt. Many will think we’re highlighting younger players because, according to FanDuel, Alabama’s a 34.5-point favorite over the Warhawks this Saturday. But go back and look at the list again, because that’s not the case at all.
Riley’s performance against Florida State warrants more snaps and touches in Week 2. Brooks could be heavily relied on in the slot with Williams on the mend. Lee rotated with the starters all throughout fall camp. And with Jeremiah Beaman going down for the season and Tim Keenan not being back yet, Simmons (a true freshman) and Faga (redshirt freshman) could be the Crimson Tide’s top two options at nose.
I thought both players had moments against the Seminoles. Plus, they were already generating buzz prior to the Keenan-Beaman injuries. So this isn’t a situation where Alabama is in an alarming situation. Yes, the depth is scary, but Saturday will give both of these guys an opportunity to get much-needed game reps with the meat of the schedule still ahead. Plus, Louisiana-Monroe’s offensive line averages a little over 6-4, 306 pounds. It could be a good test for these young guys.
