Alabama coaches believe the Crimson Tide will look sharper in the run game and steadier in overall cohesion when they open against East Carolina on Saturday, even after a finish to the 2025 season that left serious questions about the ground attack. The numbers tell the story: Alabama managed just 48 rushing yards in its final three games, and that is the standard this group is trying to move away from quickly.
The good news for Alabama is that the defense is not being treated like a major concern. Instead, the focus is on whether the offensive line can gel fast enough to support a run game that was effectively absent late last year. With only one returning starter up front, the challenge is less about talent in isolation and more about timing, communication and physicality as a unit.
DeBoer wants the line working as one
DeBoer said the key is not simply individual effort, but five linemen operating in sync. As he put it, the physicality has to be right, but the film has to show players working together. He also stressed that the line needs to be on the same page not just in assignment, but in footwork and in how each player connects with the next.
That is the most important part of Alabama’s offensive conversation. If the line cannot coordinate cleanly, the run game will struggle to get started, and that can place too much pressure on the rest of the offense early in the season. The expectation around a team like Alabama is always high, but this is also a very practical football issue: the back end of last season showed what happens when the run game disappears.
Why the defense is not drawing the same concern
Wommack made it clear there is confidence in the defensive side of the roster. He said Alabama has a lot of talent and is in a better place than it was in the first two years, but he also added that cohesion is still developing at a higher level. That is a useful distinction. Talent alone does not guarantee consistency, but it does explain why the defense is not the unit under the brightest spotlight.
The more immediate concern remains whether the offense can find a reliable identity before the season gets rolling. The return of EJ Crowell is part of that picture, with the freshman expected to be ready to play on Saturday after being limited late in preseason camp. Even so, Alabama’s bigger problem is structural rather than simply personnel-based: a rebuilt line has to prove it can create the kind of repeated physical, synchronized movement that turns practice into production.
What Alabama needs to show on Saturday
That is why the opener matters beyond the result itself. Alabama does not need to solve every issue in one game, but it does need to show that the run game can function at a level far above what was seen in the final three games of 2025. If the line can establish better rhythm and the defense can hold its expected standard, the Crimson Tide will have a far stronger base to build from.
For now, the message from the coaching staff is clear. The talent is there, the defense should be solid, and Crowell’s availability gives Alabama another option. But the real test is whether the offensive line can finally move from theory to execution when the season begins against East Carolina.
