The first sentence that Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said during Monday’s press conference: “Just got off the practice field. Having coached those receivers a little bit more and help out, I’m a little more winded than normal.”

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban often worked closely with the defensive backs, as he was one at Kent State in the early 1970s. Meanwhile, DeBoer was a wide receiver at Sioux Falls from 1993-1996, as he set school records for receptions (234), receiving yards (3,400) and touchdowns (33), while earning All-American honors.

As Alabama enters the postseason with a trip to Norman on Friday to face Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff, DeBoer said on Wednesday that he’s recently worked very closely with the Crimson Tide wide receivers.

“I like the attention to detail these guys [have] and the questions they’re asking,” DeBoer said. “I get in that room every once in a while but I’ve been in it more, pretty much every meeting here the last week. Just really like the way they’re trying to be dialed in. I just think they’re really working together well to add to what we’ve done before.

Alabama’s wide receivers room underwent a massive change a few weeks ago, as JaMarcus Shephard took the open head coaching job at Oregon State. DeBoer previously said that the coaching staff had a “celebration” for Shephard and that they’re “really excited for him.”

After taking the Oregon State position, Shephard remained at Alabama to coach the Iron Bowl and SEC Championship. The Crimson Tide reportedly hired Derrick Nix on Tuesday to fill Shephard’s role, but DeBoer was “not ready to talk about that” on Wednesday.

Alabama hired former New England Patriots wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes to its coaching staff as an analyst in February, and DeBoer’s been impressed with his efforts lately.

“Tyler Hughes is a guy that’s been in our program, he was with us a few years ago when we were at Washington,” DeBoer said. “He’s been back and forth between the Patriots in different capacities, and last year he was the wide receivers coach there.

“From a fundamental and teaching standpoint, he understands that position. Has done it at the highest level, and then understands our offensive system. He’s been a critical piece to our success for a couple years now.

“He’s done a great job filling in and really working with that group each and every day, in the meetings, on the side just to get them up to speed on what the game plan is all about. We got, at this point, guys that understand what it takes. We’ve got good leadership in that group. Guys that care. Guys that can make plays. So it’s certainly a unified effort, which is great to see.”

Alabama’s offense has been a bit stagnant lately and not as explosive as it was during the first few weeks of the season. Finding ways to get these wide receivers open quicker for quarterback Ty Simpson to easily find and connect with them will be a major key to success.

Alabama’s first-round matchup against Oklahoma is set to kick off on Friday at 7 p.m. CT in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on ESPN and ABC.

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The South Florida Bulls and Labaron Philon will duke it out when the Bulls (6-4) play the No. 16 Alabama Crimson Tide (7-3) at Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET.

See more info below, including how to watch this game on SEC Network+.

To prepare for this matchup, here’s everything you need to get ready for Wednesday’s college hoops action.

Alabama vs. South Florida: How to watch on TV or live stream

• Game day: Wednesday, December 17, 2025
• Game time: 8 p.m. ET
• Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Arena: Coleman Coliseum
• TV Channel: SEC Network+
• Live stream: Fubo – Watch NOW (Regional restrictions may apply)

Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

Alabama vs. South Florida stats and trends

• Alabama has a top-25 offense this year, ranking eighth-best in college basketball with 93.1 points per game. On defense, it ranks 326th with 80.9 points allowed per contest.
• With 38.2 rebounds per game, the Crimson Tide are 27th in the nation. They give up 35.3 rebounds per contest, which ranks 333rd in college basketball.
• So far this season, Alabama ranks 43rd in college basketball in assists, putting up 17.6 per game.
• The Crimson Tide rank 79th in the country with 10.3 turnovers per game this season. Meanwhile, they rank 322nd with 9.9 forced turnovers per contest.
• Alabama ranks fourth-best in college basketball by draining 12.5 treys per game. In terms of three-point percentage, it ranks 137th in college basketball at 34.9%.
• The Crimson Tide are ceding 7.7 treys per game (189th-ranked in college basketball). They are allowing opponents to shoot 31.4% (113th-ranked) from downtown.
• Of the shots attempted by Alabama in 2025-26, 46.3% of them have been two-pointers (60.7% of the team’s made baskets) and 53.7% have been from beyond the arc (39.3%).

Earlier in the season, Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson appeared to be a shoo-in to enter the NFL Draft. In fact, some even felt he could be the first signal-caller off the board.

But circumstances have changed.

Simpson had a tumultuous end to the regular season and put forth a miserable performance against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, completing just 48.7 percent of his passes in a blowout loss.

Could Simpson’s rough stretch ultimately cause him to stay in school for another year, and if he does, is it possible he could play somewhere other than Tuscaloosa?

The idea of Simpson foregoing the draft and then entering the transfer portal has been gaining steam. In fact, sources have told Rob Gregson of A to Z Sports that it’s a real possibility.

“If Alabama loses Round 1 (of the CFP) and Kalen DeBoer stays, you have to assume it’s Keelon Russell’s job,” the source told Gregson. “Ty has lost the luster that made him a first-round pick, and he would probably return. He would immediately become the top name in the portal.”

This would be quite a turn of events for Simpson and would be somewhat similar to the move Carson Beck made last year, when he transferred from Georgia to Miami.

Of course, the chances of this happening still seem rather slim. This a rather thin quarterback draft class, with only Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore truly challenging Simpson. Ergo, Simpson could still be a first-round pick in spite of his recent struggles.

Plus, a strong performance in the CFP could — and almost certainly would — completely alter the trajectory of Simpson and would place him back on a track as a top prospect in the eyes of most.

The 22-year-old has thrown for 3,268 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 64.3 percent of his passes in 2025. Pretty solid numbers.

Simpson definitely has good NFL traits, too. He has a strong arm, and while he has only rushed for 98 yards this year, he is athletic enough to have maneuverability and escapability in the pocket. He can also make plays with his legs.

And while he doesn’t have elite size, he isn’t small, either, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 208 pounds.

The ability is definitely there for Simpson, so it just seems hard to imagine that he would kick the NFL Draft can down the road and return to school … and transfer in the process.

Simpson surely understands how complicated of a process that would be and how it could actually damage his future in the pros.

The fact that this is a discussion, however, is beyond interesting, especially with Alabama preparing to face Oklahoma in the first round of the CFP this Friday.