The 2024 football season was not an ideal one for Alabama football.
The Crimson Tide finished with a 9-4 record, not reaching double-digit wins for the first time since 2007. It also marked just the third time the team has missed the College Football Playoff since its debut in 2014, even with the new, expanded 12-team format in 2024. Head coach Kalen DeBoer viewed last season as not up to the “Bama Standard.”
“We fell short of making the playoffs. It’s as simple as that, right?” DeBoer said.
It’s safe to say a repeat of last season’s would be very disappointing and yield a frustrated fanbase in Tuscaloosa, many of whom would wonder if the Crimson Tide can ever return to being a top-tier team.
But there’s also plenty of reason to be optimistic heading into the season. This will be DeBoer’s second year in Tuscaloosa, giving him more familiarity and more time to instill his methods of coaching.
“It’s just hard for him to try to impose his way of doing things or his standard on us so early in Year 1,” linebacker Deontae Lawson said. ”But now, Year 2, I mean, we’re all for DeBoer, and we’re all into what he has to say or what he wants to do for the program.”
Alabama will also have an impressive amount of talent returning to the roster, headlined by star wide receiver Ryan Williams. Experienced is an accurate word to describe this season’s team, with multi-year starters all around on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Then there’s the quarterback position. After a very up-and-down season from previous starter Jalen Milroe, Alabama will hope Ty Simpson provides some consistency and doesn’t remind fans of a steep rollercoaster ride.
There are a few different levels of what a successful season for the Crimson Tide looks like, but anything that involves the team missing the CFP should and will be viewed as a failure, given the amount of talent on this season’s roster.
A mildly successful season is rather simple in that Alabama needs to make the CFP. While higher goals are certainly in mind, a return to post-season action would be a good sign of progress for DeBoer’s team in Year 2.
“You want Year 2 to be moments of growth where you can polish and clean things up,” DeBoer said.
The next level of success for Alabama this season is to win the SEC. After legendary head coach Nick Saban made SEC Championship wins a regular event, it could be time for DeBoer to follow in his footsteps and lead the Crimson Tide to reclaim its throne.
It won’t be easy, as SEC powerhouses such as Georgia and Texas lie in the way. But with DeBoer’s track record against top opponents — 15-3 all-time against top-25 schools — and better success against the lower-tier SEC schools, it could add up to great success.
Of course, the most successful season possible for the Crimson Tide would be to win the national championship. It isn’t just a fairytale goal either, as several college football analysts, including Josh Pate, have Alabama winning it all this season.
And why not? If Simpson proves to be a capable starter and the team around him continues to improve and play well, a national championship is something that very well could be in the cards for DeBoer’s second season in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama’s 2025 season will kick off this Saturday against Florida State at 2:30 p.m. CT in Tallahassee.
This story was updated Monday morning to correct an error in the eighth paragraph. The first line should read “quarterback position,” not “quarterback season.”
