The Kalen DeBoer era will officially kick off when the Alabama Crimson Tide take the field against Western Kentucky in their season opener on Aug. 31.
The much-anticipated debut for the first-year Alabama head coach comes after he took Washington to the national championship game this past season. Replacing Nick Saban is a tall task for any coach, but DeBoer’s past success speaks for itself with only 12 losses on his head coaching record. Still, many are curious to see how Alabama fares during his first season leading the program.
Before his inaugural season as the Crimson Tide head coach, ESPN analystics has predicted the outcome of every Alabama game this season, via its matchup predictor.
Aug. 31: Alabama vs. Western Kentucky – 97.4% chance of win
Head coach Kalen DeBoer (Courtesy of UA Athletics)
DeBoer’s first mission as Crimson Tide head coach will be to topple the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in front of what is likely to be a curious Crimson Tide fanbase. ESPN is predicting a win heavily in Alabama’s favor, as they’re 31-point betting favorites, per ESPN Bet.
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He only gets one shot at a first impression — we’ll see if he can make the most of it.
Sept 7: Alabama vs. South Florida – 96.2% chance of win
Alabama vs. South Florida (Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA TODAY Sports)
Last season’s matchup against USF was a bit of a fever dream. Now Notre Dame walk-on wide receiver Tyler Buchner started at quarterback for the Crimson Tide defeated the Bulls 17-3 on neutral territory.
2024’s edition of this matchup will happen on the Crimson Tide’s home turf. This time, the final score is not expected to be so close according to the matchup predictor.
Sept. 14: Alabama at Wisconsin – 81.3% chance of win
(Photo by: Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
DeBoer’s first road trip as Alabama’s head coach, the Crimson Tide are still heavily favored in front of a crowd packed full of Wisconsin faithful.
Alabama hasn’t played in Camp Randall Stadium since November of 1928. However, the Tide won the most recent bout in Sept. 2015, which saw the Badgers fall 35-17 in Dallas as Derrick Henry rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns.
Sept. 28: Alabama vs. Georgia – 40.9% chance of win
Alabama vs. Georgia
Arguably the biggest blockbuster game of the regular season, preseason No. 5 Alabama will take on preseason No. 1 Georgia in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2020. This matchup will not only have implications for the SEC Championship race, but could play a hand in the how the playoff committee handles the CFP seedings.
Alabama is 23-13-4 all-time against the Bulldogs at home and have won seven on the last eight games in the rivalry overall. This is the only game that ESPN’s matchup predictor does not favor the Tide.
Oct. 5: Alabama at Vanderbilt – 89.8% chance of win
Vanderbilt warms up before a game against Alabama A&M at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.
According to ESPN’s matchup predictor, Alabama’s game against Vanderbilt in October is the easiest road game on their schedule, giving the Crimson Tide a near 90 percent chance to defeat the Commodores at home.
Alabama hasn’t lost to Vanderbilt since 1984.
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Oct. 12: Alabama vs. South Carolina – 86.2% chance of win
Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK
The midway point in the season, DeBoer should be settled into his role by this point. How his team performs remains to be seen — but a strong performance against South Carolina could set the Crimson Tide up nicely for the upcoming rough patch in their schedule.
However, Alabama can’t get caught looking ahead at what’s next. Any matchup against an SEC opponent could be considered a trap game down the stretch.
Oct. 19: Alabama at Tennessee – 58% chance of win
Jamar Coach | USA TODAY NETWORK
DeBoer might not have been around for 2022’s loss to Tennessee inside Neyland Stadium, but he doesn’t want Alabama fans to relive it, either. The 52-49 loss, which resulted in uprooted goal poasts during the postgame field-storming, was Nick Saban’s final trip to Knoxville.
Alabama bounced back last season to dispatch of the Vols last year 34-20 and have won 16 of the last 17 matchups in the rivalry.
Oct. 26: Alabama vs. Missouri – 70% chance of win
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Missouri‘s Luther Burden might be the most dynamic offensive weapon the Crimson Tide are scheduled to face this season. Proving to be an elite performer at the wide receiver position, Alabama defensive backs may have their work cut out for them. Afterall, Missouri won 11 games last season and capped it with a bowl win over Ohio State.
If the Crimson Tide aren’t careful, Eli Drinkwitz and company could make a massive statement in Tuscaloosa come late October as ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Alabama a 70% chance of winning the game at home — the lowest mark at home since Georgia.
Nov. 9: Alabama at LSU – 63.3% chance of win
Nov 4, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) stiff arms LSU Tigers safety Major Burns (8) as he runs the ball at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN’s matchup predictor predicts this game to be similar to the Tennessee road game, but gives Alabama a slight edge with a 63.3% chance of leaving Death Valley with a win.
LSU also knocked off Alabama during that 2022 season, which the Crimson Tide avenged last year as well. Still, coming off a tough stretch of schedule LSU could give Alabama all they can handle on the road.
Nov. 16: Alabama vs. Mercer – 99% chance of win
Jalen Milroe (John David Mercer / USA TODAY Sports)
Coming off consecutive matchups against Tennessee, Missouri and LSU, Alabama gets to enjoy a home game against Mercer. This is the game they’re most likely to win this season, according to ESPN’s percentage data.
Two weeks before the Iron Bowl — this one could get ugly.
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Nov. 23: Alabama at Oklahoma – 51.2% chance of win
Alabama will play Oklahoma in Norman for the first time since 1970 later this year. ESPN analytics believe the Crimson Tide will narrowly escape with a victory in this season’s matchup.
How Texas and OU will adapt to their new SEC environment in year one remains to be seen — but a matchup against Alabama at home in Novemeber is the ultimate way to test yourself against a team that is expected to be one of the best the conference has to offer. Despite this, Alabama is the favorite, even if by a couple of percentage points.
Nov. 30: Alabama vs. Auburn – 80.1% chance of win
The Iron Bowl gave college football fans one of its most memorable moments of the 2023 season when Jalen Milroe hit Isaiah Bond in the back of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown on the road, stunning the Auburn fans inside Jordan-Hare Satdium.
This time around, they’re in Tuscaloosa where the Crimson Tide are heavily favored against their in-state rival as DeBoer and company look to ride into the postseason on a high note.
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. with the 22nd overall pick of the 2026 NBA draft Tuesday night.
Philon is the first pick of the Mike Gansey era after he replaced Daryl Morey as the team’s president of basketball operations.
Who is Labaron Philon Jr.?
Philon, 20, led the Crimson Tide in scoring last season, averaging 22.0 points on nearly 40% shooting on 3-pointers. He was the focal point of one of the nation’s most potent offenses, as Alabama led the country in points per game in the 2025-26 season. The Crimson Tide (No. 16) finished the season with a 25-10 record and went 13-5 against conference opponents.
Philon, who helped lead Alabama to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, earned Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors in his sophomore season.
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In 33 games last season for Alabama, Philon scored 725 total points, which is ranked third-most by a player in a single season in program history.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with Labaron Philon Jr. after he is drafted twenty-second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
Arturo Holmes / Getty Images
Philon was the 34th-ranked basketball recruit in the country entering his freshman season at Alabama, according to 247sports. The four-star guard initially committed to playing at Auburn, but decommitted. He then signed a letter of intent to play at Kansas, but didn’t play there, either. He then committed to the Crimson Tide in April 2024.
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Philon impressed as a freshman at Alabama and averaged 10.6 points in 37 games. He declared for the 2025 NBA draft but then withdrew and returned for his sophomore season, where he saw his scoring average jump more than 10 points.
Philon is a Mobile, Alabama, native and played at Baker High School in Mobile County, where he scored 2,334 points in three seasons. He was named the Class 7A Player of the Year twice.
As a junior, he averaged 35 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists and was named Alabama Mr. Basketball, which is given to the best high school boys’ basketball player in the state. Philon transferred to Link Academy, a boarding school in Missouri, for his senior year of high school.
Philon now joins a backcourt headlined by Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe heading into the 2026-27 season. Quentin Grimes could return to Philadelphia next season and add even more depth, but he’s an unrestricted free agent.
The pick the Sixers used to pick Philon was acquired in the deal that sent Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline.
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Labaron Philon Jr. scouting report
CBS Sports had Philon ranked as the 14th-best prospect in the 2026 NBA draft.
Here are his strengths and weaknesses, according to CBS Sports:
Strengths
On-ball creator who made an extreme leap as a sophomore, ranking in the 99th percentile in isolations (was 24th percentile as a freshman) and 94th as a pick-and-roll handler (was 32nd percentile as a freshman). Combines smooth attack with sudden change of speed and direction, dexterity, and finishing craft in the lane.
Shot-maker who can make tough shots off both the catch (36% on contested catch-and-shoot 3-pointers), dribble (38% from deep), and has extreme gravity when he’s spacing the floor (46% on unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-pointers).
Shown pliability to thrive in different roles over the years and is a similarly versatile creator, because he’s a scoring threat at multiple levels and also an accurate, and somewhat creative, passer with both hands off the dribble.
Weaknesses
Inconsistent defensive approach. Showed more engagement and potential as a freshman, but couldn’t maintain that as a sophomore when taking on a bigger offensive role.
Lacks overwhelming physicality or highest level explosiveness, and didn’t add any notable muscle mass between his freshman and sophomore seasons (175 pounds at 2025 combine and 176 at 2026 combine).
Unclear how well his creation scales to the NBA level when he will have less usage and volume coupled by more physicality in opposing defenders.
Alabama football hosted a hometown kid for an official visit last weekend when it got Jeremiah Beverley on campus for an official visit.
Beverley attends Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and ESPN currently has him rated as a four-star recruit. He is considering Alabama, Cincinnati, Wake Forest and others.
The Crimson Tide offered Beverley earlier this month and got him on campus for an official visit last weekend. The Alabama target told Touchdown Alabama he used the visit to learn what the Tide has planned for him if he commits.
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“I’m truly happy that I went on that official visit,” Beverley said. “Blessed for that. All I was talking about was the next step, what I got to do? So, just knowing what they have planned for me, knowing what they have set for me.”
At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Beverley makes plays for Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa as a defensive end. Alabama has plans to use him similarly at the next level.
“They’re going to have me at wolf mostly,” Beverley said. “I know coach (Kane) Wommack and coach (Christian) Robinson, I think they see me at other positions, but I know it is guaranteed they’re going to see me at Wolf and me working my way up on special teams, and they expect that out of me.”
Beverley is expected to announce a commitment decision on Friday.
Watch Jeremiah Beverley’s Highlights Below:
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
Alabama football is hiring Noah Fisher to be its assistant tight ends coach, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Fisher spent two seasons as a graduate assistant working with the offensive line and tight ends at Louisville before joining the Tide’s staff. He played three years on the offensive line at South Alabama and spent one season with Tulane. The Jaguars started Fisher along its offensive line when he was a player for multiple games.
The Crimson Tide appear to want to use their tight ends in multiple ways in the future including as extra blockers along the line of scrimmage. Fisher looks as if he can assist the Tide with this mission.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
