Consistency has been the word of Alabama football’s preseason camp. If you ask coach Kalen DeBoer, nobody embodied it better early than the defensive line.

“I think that position group has been the most consistent,” DeBoer said Sunday. “I like where they’re at.”

He saw it defend the run well and put pressure on the quarterback consistently.

“They’re just around, making the quarterback back there have to move around and make some plays,” DeBoer said.

AL.com wanted to go take a look at what DeBoer was talking about. So, at the latest media practice viewing, we watched the defensive line for about 25 minutes of individual position drills. Here’s what we saw on Tuesday.

Alabama football practice observations: Defensive line

• Watching some positions go through drills can provide an indication of the pecking order. That was only somewhat the case with the defensive line. Veterans who figure to be leaders in the rotation such as Tim Keenan III and Jah-Marien Latham often took their reps early in drills. But there really didn’t seem to be an exact order. It changed from one drill to the next.
• Speaking of Keenan, it’s clear he’s a leader at the position. He frequently went first through drills. And there’s a reason for it. He explained after practice: “It’s easy to fuss at a guy if he doesn’t know,” Keenan said. “But if you (are) fussing at him and I went first, I always like to lead by example, especially if a guy doesn’t know. Yeah you can have a motor and go and everything but you have to have the right technique, you have to know the right information, you have to have the right steps and what not. Me being the older guy, just stepping up and being that example.”
• Keenan was a starter on the defensive line in 2023 and he figures to be one again this season at defensive tackle. Here’s what Freddie Roach, the defensive line coach, said about Keenan: “He’s been remarkable. Ever since last year. The kid comes to work, he tries to lead. He does what he’s asking other people to do. He’s one of the best guys we’ve got on this team as well.”
• Keenan had a nice rep on one of the last drills reporters saw; he swatted down a dummy like he was rushing the passer, and one coach yelled an emphatic “yes!” as Keenan completed the drill.

• LT Overton and Latham seemed to give Roach a few reps he liked; In a drill where two teammates locked up and one pushed the other back then ripped through, Roach said “good reps.”
• Overton and Latham are two of the top options at Bandit, a new term in defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s defense. It’s essentially a hybrid defensive lineman/edge rusher.
• Keon Keeley is another Bandit option on the roster. The coaching staff moved him from outside linebacker to Bandit in the spring because “as you see what Keon is developing into and may develop into at the next level, that’s more of a better fit for him,” Wommack said Tuesday.
• It’s been a process for Keeley to move to Bandit. That process could be seen through the individual drills. Several moments throughout the viewing period, Roach took a moment to instruct and coach up Keeley on technique.
• Roach on Keeley: “Like I told him, ‘You just focus on what it’s going to take you to be successful, alright?’ And at that point it’s his eyes, his hand placement, his footwork, ‘What do I have on assignments?’ And that’s every guy in the room, not just Keon.”
• It’s clear the potential is there for Keeley, the former five-star recruit in the 2023 class. He was the No. 2 prospect in the entire class, per the 247Sports Composite. Roach will just need to continue helping Keeley develop and become more comfortable in his new position.
• Roach is a teacher, plain and simple. He’s constantly instructing and providing feedback. He brings serious energy to his coaching.
• Roach looks like he could still play, even though it’s been almost 20 years since he was a four-year letterman at linebacker at Alabama.
• “Pad level!” became a frequent refrain for Roach as he demanded his players stay low out of their stances.

• It wasn’t easy for the big men to stay low with it almost 90 degrees at only about 9:30 a.m., but Roach harped on it nonetheless.
• Nearby, training staff members stood at the ready with water bottles, cold towels and more. Several linemen took full advantage, grabbing the towels in the black cart filled with ice water.
• Roach: “Look, I know it’s hot, they’re tired, and I get it. But the habits you create throughout the week is what’s going to come up on Saturdays when you play.”
• It’s clear there’s good experienced depth on the defensive line. There will likely be a handful of “or” starters in the rotation with the likes of Latham, Overton, Keenan, Jehiem Oatis, Tim Smith and James Smith some of the top contenders for playing time.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.

Birmingham-Southern College is broadening its search for a buyer for its 192-acre campus by soliciting offers outside the state of Alabama. The shuttered institution announced it is working with a New York-based real estate brokerage to market the sale of the campus, which closed in May.

“BSC continues to have productive discussions with prospective buyers from within Alabama,” Daniel Coleman, president of Birmingham-Southern told AL.com. “However, given our responsibility to obtain the best price on the best terms for the campus, we are also open to approaches from outside the state. We will not disclose the details of our interactions with any prospective buyers.”

BSC retained Keen-Summit Capital Partners LLC and JLL executive vice president Hugo Isom of Birmingham to market the property as a “rare opportunity” to acquire the “largest college campus for sale” in the United States.

In a surreal one-page flyer advertising the campus for sale, BSC is referred to as a “Turnkey World-Class Campus” with 60 buildings on 192 acres.

Birmingham-Southern College to officially close

“This is the premier college campus available for sale in the U.S. right now. It would be perfect for a college or university looking to expand or establish a satellite medical, technology, life science or other specialty campus,” David Levy, managing director of Keen-Summit Capital Partners LLC, said.

Birmingham-Southern’s financial challenges stemmed from a series of management and fiscal missteps. According to Alabama State Treasurer Young Boozer, the private college miscalculated millions in Pell Grant awards, depleted a $130 million endowment, and faced a downgrade of its bonds to junk status by Moody’s Investor Service. Boozer denied the school a $30 million loan approved by state lawmakers in 2023 due to insufficient collateral.

Alabama A&M University made an offer to purchase the campus for approximately $52 million in May. Separately, a collective offer was being considered by a consortium of Alabama HBCUs. The A&M proposal, which eventually totaled $65.5 million, was ultimately rejected, and other HBCUs are still exploring options to purchase the campus.

Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270

In one of two major college football polls, Alabama football will begin its 2024 season with its lowest ranking since 2009.

The Tide was picked No. 5 in Monday’s preseason AFCA coaches poll, compiled by the USA Today. That ends a streak of 14 seasons (2010-23) in which Alabama began in the top three of the coaches poll.

The last time Alabama football was ranked outside of the top three of a preseason coaches poll was 2009, when it began No. 5 after a 12-2 season in 2008. The Tide was unranked in the preseason coaches poll in 2008.

The Tide coming in at number 5, huh? I get it, there’s no Saban and all that…. But still, the disrespect is strong and will be noted.

Really, it’s the undying love for Oregon that’s got me a little confused on all of these preseason polls. The Ducks just lost their 6th-year senior QB to the first round of the NFL Draft and are now going to have to play in a more competitive conference than they were before.

And if you’re interested in how these rankings would line up in the new Playoff format:

Alabama was ranked fifth overall in Monday’s poll, the first time since before the 2009 season that the Crimson Tide is not ranked in the top three of the preseason Coaches Poll, and the team was not one of the three to get a first-place vote. It is the third-highest ranked team from the SEC, meaning if these rankings were identical to the ones that will eventually take shape on Selection Day, Alabama would not get a bye.

The teams seeded fifth through 12th will play against one another in the postseason extravaganza’s opening round. Alabama would be seeded seventh, hosting 10th-ranked Michigan at Bryant-Dennt Stadium in a Rose Bowl rematch. Texas, new to the SEC as well, would get the No. 6 ranking as it finished one spot ahead of the Crimson Tide in the poll.

The Tide would be playing Michigan as a wildcard match, and Alabama would not have a bye week.

DeBoer enters his debut season following the retirement of longtime coach Nick Saban in January. DeBoer brings nearly an entirely new coaching staff to Tuscaloosa, led by offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.

To keep talking season going as practice gets going in Tuscaloosa, The Tuscaloosa News asks you how many games do you think Alabama football will win this season?

Voting is now open and will remain open until noon CT on Sunday.

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If you think that #5 rating is too low… Now’s your chance to vote with the Tuscaloosa News on how well you think Alabama will do this year.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers may just have two superstars on their hands with two in-state highly touted freshmen wide receivers.

For Auburn, it comes via Cam Coleman of Central Phenix City, who last season helped the Red Devils end the Thompson run of dominance in Class 7A with an MVP performance in the state championship game.

Coleman was a top-five recruit in the entire nation and has received nothing but great reports from Tigers staff throughout the spring. The official Auburn social media page shared an image of him coming down with a sensational one-handed grab at practice over the weekend.

Not to be outdone, Alabama freshman Ryan Williams out of Saraland, who skipped his senior year and reclassified after becoming the first player to ever win back-to-back Mr. Football awards, made a similar catch in practice that circled social media over the weekend as well.

There’s been something of a Twitter feud making its rounds over the last month or so with Auburn fans relentlessly hyping up Cam Coleman and going out of their way to trash talk about Ryan Williams.

I suppose it’s only natural since both would have been the #1 WR in most any given recruiting class, but Williams reclassifying to 2024 group at the last minute makes the rankings interesting and a bit ambiguous. Add in that they’re from the same state and went to rival schools, and we could have an even more heated version of the Julio Jones – AJ Green rivalry 15 years ago.

Finally, we have updated heights and weights on the official roster.

Go check out my other article on this specifically if you want the details, but the biggest changes are Tyler Booker dropping all the way down to 325, Parker Brailsford adding 15 pounds, and Keon Keeley officially moving to the line of scrimmage, bulking up over 30 pounds to 277.