Offensive guard Tyler Booker made the first team, alongside new kicker Graham Nicholson. Nicholson transferred in from Miami of Ohio, where he was a first-team all-American, and won the Lou Groza award as the nation’s top kicker, beating out UA’s Will Reichard.
Booker returns for his junior season as one of Alabama’s offensive line leaders. He remained with the Crimson Tide through the head coach transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer.
One of his fellow offensive linemen, Washington transfer Parker Brailsford, was named to the second-team list for Alabama. Brailsford missed most of spring practice for personal reasons after following DeBoer from the Huskies, but is primed to return for the season, likely in UA’s starting center job.
Nicholson’s special teams counterpart, punter James Burnip, was also listed for the Crimson Tide. Burnip, a native of Australia, ranked second in the SEC last season, averaging 47.6 yards per punt, and was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the top punter in college football.
Check it out! Alabama enters the preseason with four All-Americans, per Walter Camp. It’s also kinda funny that two of them are special teamers, and two of them are transfers.
Only Tyler Booker and James Burnip are All-Americans from last year’s Alabama squad.
Interestingly (or maybe not), Jalen Milroe was left off of the list. Carson Beck was QB1 and Quinn Ewers was QB2.
I do think Deontae Lawson could be in consideration with any of the other linebackers on the list – however, I totally understand that his injuries the last two seasons have kept him from living up to where I think he can be.
Coming off his best season in Tuscaloosa as a third-year sophomore, Deontae Lawson is arguably Alabama’s most well-known returning starter on defense within the front seven. He’s an alpha in the middle of that unit and loves to stick his face in the fan against run support. With Caleb Downs transferring to Ohio State, the Crimson Tide need Lawson to be the new enforcer of sorts as well. He’s wearing a new number this season, which he says represents a program — and player — in transition of sorts under a different staff.
247 agrees, listing Lawson as a top candidate for SEC DPOY. Lawson taking the next step is going to be critical for Alabama this season.
Off-field issues caused Brailsford to miss most of spring practice (much to the concern of some Bama fans), but it seems as though he has now settled in in Tuscaloosa. Still, Coach Kalen DeBoer and company were wise to add some insurance in the form of Michigan State transfer Geno VanDeMark.
The late spring pickup gives Alabama another veteran and a versatile piece on the interior offensive line. VanDeMark will likely be the top backup at one or both of the guard positions. Bama returns the imposing duo of Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts, and getting another experienced player behind them is huge.
VanDeMark also has experience playing center. Though his game reps at that spot have been limited, he is more experienced than any other center option outside of Brailsford. While this is a very valuable job, it’s hard to believe the senior will be content to settle for a reserve role. Expect VanDeMark to push Brailsford and the guards, ultimately making all parties involved better in the long run.
Hopefully, Brailsford is going to a breath of fresh air for Alabama fans after three straight seasons of generally poor center play. On top of having a season’s worth of good snaps under his belt, a preseason All-American, and a national championship appearance…. He’s also been rumored this offseason to be one of the strongest players in the locker room.
I’m sure everyone saw the interview clip with Jalen Milroe a couple of days ago talking about the “vibe” that coach DeBoer brings to Alabama.
Our favorite blog site of pure envy, DawgNation, saw it too, and immediately had to write an article about how Kirby Smart does none of this “giving compliments” nonsense.
Fact is, Smart hates complacency and fancies the slogan that, “if it isn’t broke, find a way to make it better,” as Dean can attest.
“It was always, you can do this better, you made this play, you got this Pick 6, but you could have gotten to the end zone faster if you took this step, or, you could have read the play faster,” Dean said.
“Or, you got a sack, but you could have gotten a sack-fumble. So it was never pat yourself on the back.”
Time will tell if DeBoer’s approach will uplift the Tide, or perhaps derail the emotional discipline Saban’s programs most always exhibited.
Those poor guys really have no idea what to do if they aren’t constantly comparing themselves to Alabama.
In recruiting news, Alabama’s picked up another new prediction:
As June closes, Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide football coaching staff have put together an incredible month of recruiting. Over the past few weeks, Alabama has surged to the No. 2 ranked recruiting class for 2025 and still has plenty of its top targets uncommitted.
One of the most coveted targets is a four-star tight end from El Dorado Hills, California, Kaleb Edwards.
Edwards is a 6-foot-6 235 prospect who has shown the ability to be a solid end-line blocker but also a legitimate threat in the passing game.
Steve Wiltfong of On3 recently logged an expert prediction for the talented Edwards to commit to the Crimson Tide.
A higher 4-star player and a top 5 TE in the country, Edwards would be a huge addition to the recruiting class. If he does follow what most of the recruiting experts are predicting, he’ll be yet another California native helping to fill out this recruiting class for the Tide. Edwards is expected to announce a commitment on Wednesday.
NORMAN, Oklahoma — The stage was set for Oklahoma. Heck, the Sooners earned the right to set it. This was supposed to be the ushering in of a new era of postseason football for the No. 8 team in the country that had won 10 games in what was one of the toughest schedules this year.
No. 9 Alabama was even one of those teams that Oklahoma beat on its way to earning this spot. And Saturday night, all was going well for the Sooners. It was going so well, in fact, that after the first quarter, some Oklahoma fans might’ve peeked at flights and hotel rates for the Rose Bowl from inside Memorial Stadium.
And then the Alabama Crimson Tide curled and rolled the Sooners, 34-24, and are headed to Pasadena. After opening with 17 unanswered points, Oklahoma collapsed under the weight of that wave, becoming the only team in College Football Playoff history to blow a 17-point lead. And now, the Sooners have done it twice — before Saturday, in 2018 against Georgia.
[Best Teams in the College Football Playoff Era: Creating the Ultimate 12-team CFP]
Here are my takeaways from Alabama’s College Football Playoff first-round victory against Oklahoma on Saturday:
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA: Zabien Brown #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide stiff-arms John Mateer #10 of the Oklahoma Sooners during the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff first-round game on December 19, 2025. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson is an avid reader and listener of college football news. Following the largest comeback win in Alabama postseason history, Simpson took a moment to facetiously thank media members for choosing Oklahoma to win on Saturday night.
“I guess we can thank you guys for that,” an emboldened Simpson said. “You guys kind of wrote us off in a sort of way. So I appreciate that.”
After building a three-score lead, the Sooners watched the Crimson Tide recover a fumbled punt, pick off Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer and return it 50 yards to the end zone — all before their First Team All-American kicker Tate Sandell missed not one but two field goals in the final minutes to solidify the worst collapse in College Football Playoff history.
Meanwhile, the Alabama Crimson Tide will prepare to take on No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl for the CFP quarterfinal game. This team that punches back and played its best football with its back against the wall is one that the Hoosiers must prepare for on New Year’s Day.
[College Football Playoff Predictions: First-Round Winners to The National Champion]
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA: John Mateer #10 of the Oklahoma Sooners is hit by Deontae Lawson #0 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter during the College Football Playoff first-round game on December 19, 2025. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
The Crimson Tide began down — just like they did against Georgia in the SEC championship game. But the last three quarters of Saturday’s game demonstrated Alabama to be just who it says it is: the kind of team that can open with a loss to a bad Florida State and also be the first team in six years to walk into Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, and come out with a win.
DeBoer’s task now is to find a way to make certain that the team that showed up at Georgia earlier this season and at Oklahoma in the first round is the same one against the Hoosiers. Linebacker Deontae Lawson said that’s his job too. But Bama’s best trait isn’t one that shows itself until it’s in a fight for its life.
“Man, I just think we’re a resilient team,” Lawson said. “And even though we were down 17-0, we didn’t really look at the scoreboard. Coach DeBoer always says, ‘Keep playing the game. The game will come back to you.’ … We just keep fighting.”
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA: Head coach Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners speaks to an official during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide on December 19, 2025. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
Let’s look at the bigger ones:
These are blunders. Errors that aren’t forced but self-inflicted. It’s difficult to win any game with those kinds of mistakes on your drive chart. It’s nearly impossible in a game of this magnitude, against a team as talented and as resilient as the Crimson Tide.
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA: Keon Keeley #31 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates after defeating the Oklahoma Sooners in the College Football Playoff first-round game. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Oklahoma usually plays 50 Cent’s “Many Men” before the start of the fourth quarter. In an attempt to make a statement for its first CFP game at Owen Field, the Sooners brought the rapper himself out onto the field to perform the song for fans in a Hard to Kill Hoodie.
“I didn’t know it was live,” DeBoer said.
“I didn’t know who 50 Cent was,” Simpson said, “but I know that song.”
“We play that song at practice on Fridays,” Lawson said.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him @RJ_Young.
Hello college football fans, and welcome to The Athletic’s live coverage of the 2025 College Football Playoff!
Yes, after a 2025 season full of an incredible amount of twists, turns, controversy and pure chaos, the second edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff gets underway tonight. Our opening matchup is a battle of blue-bloods whose first meeting this season contributed to that chaos, as No. 9 Alabama takes on No. 8 Oklahoma in Norman.
Follow along for live pregame build-up and the latest news, play-by-play updates and real-time analysis from The Athletic’s college football staff!
The College Football Playoff gets underway Friday night as Alabama heads to Norman to take on Oklahoma. But to ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, there’s even more at stake for Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer.
DeBoer’s name has been the subject of rumors throughout the offseason in the coaching carousel. Most recently, he received questions about the opening at Michigan following Sherrone Moore’s firing for cause, though he made it clear he intends to be at Alabama in 2026.
However, Wilbon didn’t sound as convinced. He predicted Alabama would not only lose to Oklahoma on Friday night, but DeBoer would also be on a flight to Ann Arbor to take the Michigan job afterward.
“Let me tell you about … two schools that could be in the coaching carousel after [Friday night],” Wilbon said Thursday on Pardon The Interruption. “Because when Alabama loses to Oklahoma – let me say it again, when Alabama loses to Oklahoma – the coach of Alabama, half the people in the state will want to run him out. And he’ll be on the carousel – oh, wait, that’s a G5 being flown to Ann Arbor, Mich., where he has said, ‘Oh, no. I ain’t got no interest in that.’ He’ll have interest [Friday night].
“And then, Alabama will be in the coaching carousel because they’ll be looking for a coach. … The Alabama coach is going to have a job-on-the-line situation in 24 hours and then, headed to Michigan once he loses. And then, Alabama’s looking. Then, what are you going to say?”
During a press conference this week ahead of the College Football Playoff opener, Kalen DeBoer was directly asked if he intended to be Alabama’s head coach next season. He responded, “Yes.”
Earlier in that press conference, DeBoer received a question about the rumors surrounding him. He again spoke highly of his tenure at Alabama so far and made it clear he’s happy in Tuscaloosa.
“A lot of the same things I said before, a couple weeks ago, when asked really the same question, just feel completely supported,” DeBoer said. “My family loves living here. Just all the things that we continue to build on, love the progress. Haven’t talked with anyone, no plans of talking with anyone. So just, I think that’s a lot of what I said a couple weeks ago, and continues to be the same thing.
“Feel strong about it. And our guys, if there’s been any distraction, I haven’t seen it, haven’t felt it. I’m really proud of the way they’ve handled whatever noise is out there. And again, we probably all season long, have dealt with enough noise to where it wouldn’t surprise me on how they handle this.”
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