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Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer met with reporters Tuesday to discuss the conclusion of spring practice, and what's next for him and his coaching staff in the coming months.
DeBoer talked about Alabama's quarterback battle and what made Ty Simpson stand out. He touched on the spring transfer portal window and what players Alabama might be looking to add, as well as his hopes of being able to retain all three quarterbacks on the depth chart after offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb made clear Monday that one was the frontrunner.
DeBoer spoke of Alabama's depth at wide receiver and what could help star Ryan Williams have an even bigger sophomore season. Among the players that DeBoer praised were transfer receiver Isaiah Horton (from Miami), receiver Rico Scott, and sophomore running back Daniel Hill.
Here are the full comments from Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer at Monday's press conference following Alabama's A-Day event over the weekend.
"Good morning and just a few opening comments. I want to thank everyone who came out on Saturday. Appreciate our guys and our efforts to get a chance to see them on the field and also interact afterwards. It was great to spend some time with the fans myself, too. I appreciate y'all coming out. It was a beautiful day.
"Lot of activities around campus and hopefully you took in a few of those, as well. But it was back to work today. That's our team's mindset right now. We had a short team meeting, but back in the weight room. We're 100 days away, roughly, from training camp. We talk about taking advantage of every opportunity and these guys were back to work today.
"The next two weeks, lots of workouts, some individual one-on-one meetings that we would do any time at the end of the spring, so we're doing a lot of that. Guys taking care of their school work and then finals after that and they'll have a short break. But I think the momentum here that we carry into May is critical.
"The next three months or so, hundred days, is really going to set up the six months to follow. And the question that we've been challenging our guys with going back to January when we saw the want-to, the desire, is can you sustain that level of intensity? We refer to it as competitive stamina often, and that might be in the midst of a practice. It might be throughout the course of a week or a certain scrimmage. It might just even be for one play.
"For us, that competitive stamina relative to what I'm talking about is, can we carry it through each phase of the offseason? And then that leading to us just having this way about us, how we do things, an edge that carries us through the entire fall.
"So I'm excited about the strides we've made. I think there's some depth that's been created on our team. We refer to it as maybe a blessing in disguise that we had so many guys that were out still kind of going back to last season. I think it really allowed us, forced us in some ways to get a lot of guys more reps than they maybe would have had, and that's going to help us be a deeper and better team down the road."
"I think you just always look into finding the right person that fits who you are as a program, someone who can make your team better, our roster better. So we have just a couple of scholarships really available to us, so we'll be careful and they've got to meet all those areas that we feel good about: the culture of our team, the chemistry from within, the work that's being put in.
"I like the combination of attrition and addition that we've had, whether it's high school guys coming in. Eighteen of our 21 guys were here that we signed in December, and so they aren't going to feel like freshmen this summer. And then also a few of the transfers that have come in and really done a nice job of blending in as well and defining their roles more and more every single day. Asking more out of them from a leadership standpoint.
"I think there's a lot of great things they've all done. Ty continues to, I think, move and trend upward. But I think all of them have really added to their game. They're all at different spots because Keelon is learning the system. The other two know it better, for sure, and Ty has been around and has just done a nice job.
"I think the trending upward is a big piece of it. Ty's an accurate thrower. There's always going to be balls that every guy wants back, but I think the ability to learn from your mistakes, learn from other peoples' mistakes, be able to comprehend things and not be overwhelmed, I think that he's just had more time. But they're all doing a lot of really good things as a group.
"I will say, we're not where we need to be at the quarterback position yet, so I think that that exists within our team -- to have that level, be accomplished, but (understand) this is part of the process. I share with our team, we're not where we need to be as a team. I hope we don't ever think that. It's never been that case everywhere I've been, any year I've been a part of where you finish spring ball in April and you're like, 'OK, we're good to go.'
"People ask, are you ready for the season? No, I'm not. We've got a lot of work to do between now and August, and that's the case I think with the quarterback position."
"Wilken has really come a long, long ways. We just met this morning, a group of us with him, and I think the thing that you lose sight of sometimes is if you flipped on the film a year ago, what would it look like? We're in it every single day with him and he's just focused on the now. But you peel back a little bit and I think sometimes you forget how far a guy has come, and that's the case with him.
"And it's a physical piece, it's a discipline piece for every guy but I think as an offensive lineman, especially a tackle, there's so many little details now that he's picking up on that he wouldn't have picked up on even late in the season last year. So it's more reps, just another cycle through, just like for all these guys of learning, re-learning the system, hearing the details again over and over, adding to your game. But he's gotten stronger. He's more confident, but again, every day, got to get better. He's a tackle for us that we need to rely on to get it done. Not just at an OK level; at an elite level to accomplish our goals.
"I think the other guy to point out would be Olaus (Alinen). Olaus just did a nice job having to move around a little bit. I think it's probably his flexibility to move different spots. You thought of him as more of an interior guy. He really continues to reshape his body and do some things that I think have really lent him to us feeling very comfortable with him in multiple spots: left side, right side, inside, outside. So I'm really proud of him.
"I think Arkel (Anugwom) is a guy that's really coming along. He's a developmental player but doing a great job. His heart's in it, the guys love him, he works extremely hard and he's a blessing to have here, for sure. The young guys I think getting thrown into the fire, Jackson Lloyd, Michael Carroll, they are gonna be phenomenal football players at tackle. They have different strengths. They come from opposite ends of the country obviously, but their exposure to different things, they actually were really impressive I think in how far they've come. I'm excited about their future, for sure."
"I feel like that's the case at the quarterback position, too. And Austin's growth again going back to where he was at, not even just a year ago but just middle of the season, seeing him continuing to go (upward). Three isn't very many, but it's probably the number we're going to have to be at at quarterback. That's what we're expecting here going into the fall. We had four last year. I think that's kind of a unique situation. I've had three many times in the last few years.
"You're always on edge. The rest of the team has heard, 'Stay away from the quarterback!' more than they've ever heard in their entire life this spring for sure. So, lot of questionable sacks that I did call the defensive line, felt like they got wronged on and cheated on by me because I own the quarterback whistle. They've got to stay away, but they've got to get close enough to get a sack to blow the play dead. But we stayed away from the quarterback and made sure those guys were all healthy and upright."
"Good question. I think that's a good question in terms of just development of guys. We could sit here forever and talk about some scenarios I've been over in just the last two or three years where a guard has moved to tackle and a tackle has moved to guard, and you thought you recruited a guy for this spot and he became an NFL player and a first-round draft pick at a different one.
"Michael (Carroll) probably in particular because we were obviously involved in his recruitment more so than Olaus, but Michael was probably recruited more as a guard, and he might become that some day. I don't know, but right now he's got that position flex. That's really a key for us and he's got a mindset about him. Jackson (Lloyd) is probably going to be a tackle, just a pure tackle, and then Olaus (Alinen) was a guard obviously. That's where you come in thinking when you see the depth that was here in place before us.
"We'll just keep cross-training, duel-training guys, and we do that across the board at a number of positions. We've got receivers that can play inside, outside. We've got safeties playing corner, corners that can play nickel. All that kind of stuff and that's I think going to be important for our depth and readiness when different adversity hits us."
"I was really excited to see Daniel. He was last fall and still even this spring a little bit hampered with just some tweaks and injuries and stuff. He'll end up being a really good one for us, we know that. And I felt like there was just enough that you did see last fall where he's just got those instinctual things: running and cutting and things you expect out of a tailback. Just some subtle things that a 240- or 245-pound guy doesn't do as easy as he does.
"And then even catching the ball out of the backfield, just natural that way. He had some runs when we were in live sessions, whether he was bouncing off of them or I think it was more them bouncing off of him, that was really exciting to see. He's really developing a mindset and a trust and belief in himself, and that's carried on through the rest of the team. He had a really good spring for sure."
"I think consistency. He had some really big days, and you saw a lot of flashes of what he is really capable of. And then you saw some times where just consistency -- and sometimes that just means not making the big mistakes -- and so it's growth, it's learning. He's in it, his head's in it. He's the same guy every single day. That's what you love about him.
"So just consistency and he's going to be a guy that you can attack a defense with, and I think all of our quarterbacks have that ability with their arm to get after the opponent. Just consistency I think is the biggest thing for him because his consistency as a person is strong. The consistency is just the play-making ability and the lack of mistakes. He's learning a lot of verbiage that's brand new for him. So even just spitting that out consistently is something he's grown a lot.
"I sit and try to listen in the huddle on not just what he's saying but how they're saying it, and that's with all the quarterbacks, and they've really grown a long ways in their ability to kind of demand the huddle when they're in it."
"I think for us as coaches, the foundation is still the same: coach these guys, just continue to add to their value, add to what they can do. Make them feel like they've got a strong role on our team; that their development and growth continues to happen and that we see that and want to be a part of that.
"I think when they feel that and they get their feet back -- and we can be strong with our guys. They know that we care about them and they know that we need them to help us accomplish our goals as a team. They have their personal goals, too, and we want to help them accomplish it. Again, you never know this time of year. We felt last year that we really didn't lose anyone at this time that we felt we were going to have going into the fall. So definitely, I won't say keep our fingers crossed, but that's the case here with the portal.
"I'm proud of our guys. I think the guys that you want around you, whether as coaches or players, they have a good head on their shoulders. They can have perspective on what they really, truly have here at Alabama, and it's special -- whether it's resources that they have and the people that they have around them in the training room, in the weight room. The coaching staff I think is elite as well. So these guys are getting an experience that they should not take for granted.
"I love our guys. I think we've got a great group that continue to push each other, hold each other to a level of strain. When I say accountable, it's not accountable just to, 'Oh making sure you're here for this on time and we're doing this right.' It's a level of strain, a lot of edge, and I think they're really doing a much better job of that this year now that they're more comfortable with who we are and want to be."
"We've got experienced guys coming back. You've got Isaiah (Horton) in. I think Rico Scott had a really nice spring, and we expected that. That's actually one that we expected. We could see that happening throughout the fall. (His) role grew in December, but you can go on and on; I really like our freshmen that came in as well with Derek (Meadows) and Lotzeir (Brooks). I really think we nailed it with incoming freshmen that way.
"They're freshmen. That's what we've got to remember, and so there's some growth that they've got to experience, much like we're talking about at quarterback and these tackles and so forth. And then you can go into the (Jaylen) Mbakwe's and guys that made that transition and Jalen Hale coming back and go on down the line.
"I like the versatility that these guys have. Inside, outside, we can move guys around much like we've been accustomed to over many years to where you don't know where so-and-so is going to line up. And that might not be just the receivers; that might be the tight ends, the running backs. They can line up empty, they can be out flexed, they can be in tight to the box with your tight end, you can put your hand on the ground.
"So we've got a lot of position flex, a lot of versatility. The guys are understanding the system, not just the what and how of what they're supposed to do and their execution, but also the why."
"He has done that and now all of a sudden you see him -- because he is a productive guy, he does have that ability. It's well-rounded, it's not just a red zone thing. That presence about him, that's something that we recognize, his teammates recognize, and have really grown a high level of respect.
"He's got that body type. He caught some balls from Jalen at Pro Day. He was showing out in a lot of different ways for some of us who had seen him at a couple of practices but just guys who can catch it at different routes, guys coming in full speed and not break stride is something that I think is just one indicator or how smooth and how talented you are. He's really fit in well. He's got a great personality and (is) a great teammate."
"Yeah, there's a lot of things we can do with Ryan. We never want to take away what he can do when he's out there isolated. But the ability for him to get inside and get matchups, and he can get matchups against pretty much anyone. But I also think that we don't want to just put him in a spot -- you know, I've seen slot guys get bracketed and so forth -- so we need to make sure again that our system allows guys to get to all areas of the field.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Kalen DeBoer recaps 2025 Alabama football spring practice
Continue reading...
DeBoer talked about Alabama's quarterback battle and what made Ty Simpson stand out. He touched on the spring transfer portal window and what players Alabama might be looking to add, as well as his hopes of being able to retain all three quarterbacks on the depth chart after offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb made clear Monday that one was the frontrunner.
DeBoer spoke of Alabama's depth at wide receiver and what could help star Ryan Williams have an even bigger sophomore season. Among the players that DeBoer praised were transfer receiver Isaiah Horton (from Miami), receiver Rico Scott, and sophomore running back Daniel Hill.
Here are the full comments from Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer at Monday's press conference following Alabama's A-Day event over the weekend.
Kalen DeBoer opening statement after Alabama spring camp
"Good morning and just a few opening comments. I want to thank everyone who came out on Saturday. Appreciate our guys and our efforts to get a chance to see them on the field and also interact afterwards. It was great to spend some time with the fans myself, too. I appreciate y'all coming out. It was a beautiful day.
"Lot of activities around campus and hopefully you took in a few of those, as well. But it was back to work today. That's our team's mindset right now. We had a short team meeting, but back in the weight room. We're 100 days away, roughly, from training camp. We talk about taking advantage of every opportunity and these guys were back to work today.
"The next two weeks, lots of workouts, some individual one-on-one meetings that we would do any time at the end of the spring, so we're doing a lot of that. Guys taking care of their school work and then finals after that and they'll have a short break. But I think the momentum here that we carry into May is critical.
"The next three months or so, hundred days, is really going to set up the six months to follow. And the question that we've been challenging our guys with going back to January when we saw the want-to, the desire, is can you sustain that level of intensity? We refer to it as competitive stamina often, and that might be in the midst of a practice. It might be throughout the course of a week or a certain scrimmage. It might just even be for one play.
"For us, that competitive stamina relative to what I'm talking about is, can we carry it through each phase of the offseason? And then that leading to us just having this way about us, how we do things, an edge that carries us through the entire fall.
"So I'm excited about the strides we've made. I think there's some depth that's been created on our team. We refer to it as maybe a blessing in disguise that we had so many guys that were out still kind of going back to last season. I think it really allowed us, forced us in some ways to get a lot of guys more reps than they maybe would have had, and that's going to help us be a deeper and better team down the road."
Kalen DeBoer on Alabama's approach to upcoming spring transfer portal
"I think you just always look into finding the right person that fits who you are as a program, someone who can make your team better, our roster better. So we have just a couple of scholarships really available to us, so we'll be careful and they've got to meet all those areas that we feel good about: the culture of our team, the chemistry from within, the work that's being put in.
"I like the combination of attrition and addition that we've had, whether it's high school guys coming in. Eighteen of our 21 guys were here that we signed in December, and so they aren't going to feel like freshmen this summer. And then also a few of the transfers that have come in and really done a nice job of blending in as well and defining their roles more and more every single day. Asking more out of them from a leadership standpoint.
DeBoer on Ryan Grubb's comments that Ty Simpson was frontrunner as Alabama starting QB
"I think there's a lot of great things they've all done. Ty continues to, I think, move and trend upward. But I think all of them have really added to their game. They're all at different spots because Keelon is learning the system. The other two know it better, for sure, and Ty has been around and has just done a nice job.
"I think the trending upward is a big piece of it. Ty's an accurate thrower. There's always going to be balls that every guy wants back, but I think the ability to learn from your mistakes, learn from other peoples' mistakes, be able to comprehend things and not be overwhelmed, I think that he's just had more time. But they're all doing a lot of really good things as a group.
"I will say, we're not where we need to be at the quarterback position yet, so I think that that exists within our team -- to have that level, be accomplished, but (understand) this is part of the process. I share with our team, we're not where we need to be as a team. I hope we don't ever think that. It's never been that case everywhere I've been, any year I've been a part of where you finish spring ball in April and you're like, 'OK, we're good to go.'
"People ask, are you ready for the season? No, I'm not. We've got a lot of work to do between now and August, and that's the case I think with the quarterback position."
DeBoer on redshirt sophomore OL Wilken Formby, Alabama offensive tackles
"Wilken has really come a long, long ways. We just met this morning, a group of us with him, and I think the thing that you lose sight of sometimes is if you flipped on the film a year ago, what would it look like? We're in it every single day with him and he's just focused on the now. But you peel back a little bit and I think sometimes you forget how far a guy has come, and that's the case with him.
"And it's a physical piece, it's a discipline piece for every guy but I think as an offensive lineman, especially a tackle, there's so many little details now that he's picking up on that he wouldn't have picked up on even late in the season last year. So it's more reps, just another cycle through, just like for all these guys of learning, re-learning the system, hearing the details again over and over, adding to your game. But he's gotten stronger. He's more confident, but again, every day, got to get better. He's a tackle for us that we need to rely on to get it done. Not just at an OK level; at an elite level to accomplish our goals.
"I think the other guy to point out would be Olaus (Alinen). Olaus just did a nice job having to move around a little bit. I think it's probably his flexibility to move different spots. You thought of him as more of an interior guy. He really continues to reshape his body and do some things that I think have really lent him to us feeling very comfortable with him in multiple spots: left side, right side, inside, outside. So I'm really proud of him.
"I think Arkel (Anugwom) is a guy that's really coming along. He's a developmental player but doing a great job. His heart's in it, the guys love him, he works extremely hard and he's a blessing to have here, for sure. The young guys I think getting thrown into the fire, Jackson Lloyd, Michael Carroll, they are gonna be phenomenal football players at tackle. They have different strengths. They come from opposite ends of the country obviously, but their exposure to different things, they actually were really impressive I think in how far they've come. I'm excited about their future, for sure."
Is Kalen DeBoer confident about keeping all three QBs at Alabama with transfer portal window opening?
"I feel like that's the case at the quarterback position, too. And Austin's growth again going back to where he was at, not even just a year ago but just middle of the season, seeing him continuing to go (upward). Three isn't very many, but it's probably the number we're going to have to be at at quarterback. That's what we're expecting here going into the fall. We had four last year. I think that's kind of a unique situation. I've had three many times in the last few years.
"You're always on edge. The rest of the team has heard, 'Stay away from the quarterback!' more than they've ever heard in their entire life this spring for sure. So, lot of questionable sacks that I did call the defensive line, felt like they got wronged on and cheated on by me because I own the quarterback whistle. They've got to stay away, but they've got to get close enough to get a sack to blow the play dead. But we stayed away from the quarterback and made sure those guys were all healthy and upright."
Is Alabama looking for help at offensive tackle in spring transfer portal?
"Good question. I think that's a good question in terms of just development of guys. We could sit here forever and talk about some scenarios I've been over in just the last two or three years where a guard has moved to tackle and a tackle has moved to guard, and you thought you recruited a guy for this spot and he became an NFL player and a first-round draft pick at a different one.
"Michael (Carroll) probably in particular because we were obviously involved in his recruitment more so than Olaus, but Michael was probably recruited more as a guard, and he might become that some day. I don't know, but right now he's got that position flex. That's really a key for us and he's got a mindset about him. Jackson (Lloyd) is probably going to be a tackle, just a pure tackle, and then Olaus (Alinen) was a guard obviously. That's where you come in thinking when you see the depth that was here in place before us.
"We'll just keep cross-training, duel-training guys, and we do that across the board at a number of positions. We've got receivers that can play inside, outside. We've got safeties playing corner, corners that can play nickel. All that kind of stuff and that's I think going to be important for our depth and readiness when different adversity hits us."
Kalen DeBoer talks Alabama running back room and standout spring for Daniel Hill
"I was really excited to see Daniel. He was last fall and still even this spring a little bit hampered with just some tweaks and injuries and stuff. He'll end up being a really good one for us, we know that. And I felt like there was just enough that you did see last fall where he's just got those instinctual things: running and cutting and things you expect out of a tailback. Just some subtle things that a 240- or 245-pound guy doesn't do as easy as he does.
"And then even catching the ball out of the backfield, just natural that way. He had some runs when we were in live sessions, whether he was bouncing off of them or I think it was more them bouncing off of him, that was really exciting to see. He's really developing a mindset and a trust and belief in himself, and that's carried on through the rest of the team. He had a really good spring for sure."
What does Kalen DeBoer want to see from 5-star freshman QB Keelon Russell this summer?
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"I think consistency. He had some really big days, and you saw a lot of flashes of what he is really capable of. And then you saw some times where just consistency -- and sometimes that just means not making the big mistakes -- and so it's growth, it's learning. He's in it, his head's in it. He's the same guy every single day. That's what you love about him.
"So just consistency and he's going to be a guy that you can attack a defense with, and I think all of our quarterbacks have that ability with their arm to get after the opponent. Just consistency I think is the biggest thing for him because his consistency as a person is strong. The consistency is just the play-making ability and the lack of mistakes. He's learning a lot of verbiage that's brand new for him. So even just spitting that out consistently is something he's grown a lot.
"I sit and try to listen in the huddle on not just what he's saying but how they're saying it, and that's with all the quarterbacks, and they've really grown a long ways in their ability to kind of demand the huddle when they're in it."
Kalen DeBoer on his approach to college football over the next few months
"I think for us as coaches, the foundation is still the same: coach these guys, just continue to add to their value, add to what they can do. Make them feel like they've got a strong role on our team; that their development and growth continues to happen and that we see that and want to be a part of that.
"I think when they feel that and they get their feet back -- and we can be strong with our guys. They know that we care about them and they know that we need them to help us accomplish our goals as a team. They have their personal goals, too, and we want to help them accomplish it. Again, you never know this time of year. We felt last year that we really didn't lose anyone at this time that we felt we were going to have going into the fall. So definitely, I won't say keep our fingers crossed, but that's the case here with the portal.
"I'm proud of our guys. I think the guys that you want around you, whether as coaches or players, they have a good head on their shoulders. They can have perspective on what they really, truly have here at Alabama, and it's special -- whether it's resources that they have and the people that they have around them in the training room, in the weight room. The coaching staff I think is elite as well. So these guys are getting an experience that they should not take for granted.
"I love our guys. I think we've got a great group that continue to push each other, hold each other to a level of strain. When I say accountable, it's not accountable just to, 'Oh making sure you're here for this on time and we're doing this right.' It's a level of strain, a lot of edge, and I think they're really doing a much better job of that this year now that they're more comfortable with who we are and want to be."
Kalen DeBoer on who stood out at wide receiver during Alabama spring camp
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"We've got experienced guys coming back. You've got Isaiah (Horton) in. I think Rico Scott had a really nice spring, and we expected that. That's actually one that we expected. We could see that happening throughout the fall. (His) role grew in December, but you can go on and on; I really like our freshmen that came in as well with Derek (Meadows) and Lotzeir (Brooks). I really think we nailed it with incoming freshmen that way.
"They're freshmen. That's what we've got to remember, and so there's some growth that they've got to experience, much like we're talking about at quarterback and these tackles and so forth. And then you can go into the (Jaylen) Mbakwe's and guys that made that transition and Jalen Hale coming back and go on down the line.
"I like the versatility that these guys have. Inside, outside, we can move guys around much like we've been accustomed to over many years to where you don't know where so-and-so is going to line up. And that might not be just the receivers; that might be the tight ends, the running backs. They can line up empty, they can be out flexed, they can be in tight to the box with your tight end, you can put your hand on the ground.
"So we've got a lot of position flex, a lot of versatility. The guys are understanding the system, not just the what and how of what they're supposed to do and their execution, but also the why."
Kalen DeBoer on Miami Hurricanes transfer Isaiah Horton
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"He has done that and now all of a sudden you see him -- because he is a productive guy, he does have that ability. It's well-rounded, it's not just a red zone thing. That presence about him, that's something that we recognize, his teammates recognize, and have really grown a high level of respect.
"He's got that body type. He caught some balls from Jalen at Pro Day. He was showing out in a lot of different ways for some of us who had seen him at a couple of practices but just guys who can catch it at different routes, guys coming in full speed and not break stride is something that I think is just one indicator or how smooth and how talented you are. He's really fit in well. He's got a great personality and (is) a great teammate."
Kalen DeBoer on benefits of Ryan Williams lining up at slot receiver
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"Yeah, there's a lot of things we can do with Ryan. We never want to take away what he can do when he's out there isolated. But the ability for him to get inside and get matchups, and he can get matchups against pretty much anyone. But I also think that we don't want to just put him in a spot -- you know, I've seen slot guys get bracketed and so forth -- so we need to make sure again that our system allows guys to get to all areas of the field.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Kalen DeBoer recaps 2025 Alabama football spring practice
Continue reading...
