First up, we got our final press conferences of the spring from the coordinators.
Ryan Grubb
Grubb on what he learned about the offensive line this spring…
“We have more versatility there than I initially anticipated, and what I mean by that is, Olaus is a guy who got out there and played left tackle almost every day. He certainly had an opportunity at left guard. I think Olaus could play left tackle, I think he could play right tackle, I think he could play left guard. You see a guy like that that’s cleanly able to function from the outside to the inside and you’re really happy about the versatility you can get there. He’s one guy that stood out.
“I thought Kam and Geno were guys that really stood out, as far as guys that could play left guard and right guard, and Geno can play left, right, or center. That part, those three players right there, from an interior standpoint, and man, you feel really excited about where you’re at and where you’re going. Those guys showed up every single day.”
Olaus Alinen is someone who was pretty much never mentioned going into the spring, but we’ve quietly been hearing about him all spring long. I think Grubb and Coach Kap are going to try to give him starting reps this fall, whether it’s at left guard or right tackle.
Grubb is one of the better interviews around and does a good job of not just spouting off coaching platitudes. I had my complaints about his stint in Seattle last year, but his sincerity in interviews was my favorite part about him, so I’m excited to have him alongside Kane Wommack this year. Seriously, look at this comment on the QB situation:
“And, you know, I know everybody wants to know about that position and where things are at. And I would say this: at the end of the day, if we’re playing a football game tomorrow, Ty Simpson would start. And he earned that, okay? And I know that’s the line everybody’s looking for, but that is what he earned. Austin Mack made huge strides, also available reps were the same, you know, and he did a really good job. He came out and developed. Just with some of the nuances and take care of the football and things like that, but Ty showed out a little bit better. And then, honestly, Keelon exceeded my expectations. I think, for a young man his age, he never gave into that opportunity. You know, we challenge him with that — don’t give in to I’m a freshman and this and that. And he didn’t. I say this all the time and I mean it as the biggest compliment, he reminds me so much of Michael Penix, just in his demeanor, you know, he has such a calm demeanor. Sometimes, you know, you need to find the other edge of that and put a little bit of rush on it but he did a great job. And he had a couple days at the end that, you know, I wish he played a little bit better, but, man, I thought he made huge strides.
“Those guys all, you know, Nick did a great job of managing the number of reps for guys, trying to keep the opportunity very equal. And by no means does that mean that we’re playing a game tomorrow. And I think there’s still a lot of work to be done. I think the message really is that, you know, we got to be even better. And the guys, you know, I know that they’ll take that the right way, and they understand those things, but essentially, you know, we’re not gonna be satisfied with the quarterback room until it’s how it’s supposed to be.
I like the way this whole comment was said. Ty Simpson is the leader of the club house today, but he made it clear that Mack and Russell are improving rapidly, and that a starter today isn’t necessarily the starter in the fall. I think that’s absolutely the best way to approach the situation and keep all three guys engaged.
Next up, defense.
Kane Wommack
“We wanted to create more negative plays. When you look at some of our measurables and statistics and all those things last season, there’s a lot of great numbers to point towards, but one thing we wanted to focus on was creating negative plays and getting to the quarterback in the backfield. That’s something that schematically we can get better at, point of emphasis we can get better at it, fundamentally we can get better at it. A lot of it is just doing your job. A lot of times when you create negative plays and you affect the quarterback in the passing game it doesn’t just mean you win a 1-on-1 battle, but you rush as a unit and you keep the quarterback in the pocket as we show them different coverages on the back end. Those are things I think we took steps in the right direction.
Kane was a bit short-winded (for him) this time, but it’s still a good listen. I like that he went in depth on three key points of emphasis: improving the pass rush, reducing penalties, and improving DB depth. I especially like the acknowledgement of how much of a pass rush is scheme, rather then relying on one-on-one wins (seriously, that only works with Will Anderson, and even then it only worked for one season).
Finally, we have a longer press conference from the big man himself:
Kalen DeBoer
Will Ryan Williams be used in the slot at times this season?
“There’s a lot of things you 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 guys, pretty much against anyone .. But I also think we don’t want to just put him in a spot that, have seen slot guys get bracketed and so forth. We need to make sure … Our system allows guys to get to all areas of the field. Because of Germ and because of these other guys, we talked about Isaiah, you can go on and on and on about our roster right now, that can go inside or outside, that will allow Ryan to be able to do that. You want the greatness of others to help you become great. That’s something that’s really big and it’s going to help Ryan have an even bigger season because of the others around him.
While DeBoer tends to be very adept at saying a lot nothing with coach speak, you can tell when his inner WR nerd comes out when he gets asked questions about how to use WRs. I thought this was an interesting answer about how some of the focus of the scheme is to make sure Ryan Williams doesn’t get double-teamed.
In another comment, he talked a bit about Isaiah Horton and his ability to catch in-breaking balls without breaking stride. It’s those small comments like that that really show DeBoer’s background as a receiver.
In other news, the WNBA just held their draft, and Alabama had a program record three players drafted. Sarah Ashlee Barker went #9 overall, Aaliyah Nye 13th, and Zaay Green 32nd. Roll Tide to the crew, and here’s to the WBB team continuing the momentum and success next year.
Monday night was a historic one for the Alabama women’s basketball program.
For the first time in school history, three Crimson Tide players were taken in the same WNBA Draft.
On Monday night at The Shed in New York, home of the 2025 WNBA Draft, Sarah Ashlee Barker went No. 9 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks, Aaliyah Nye went 13th overall to the Las Vegas Aces, and Zaay Green went 32nd overall (Round 3, Pick 7) to the Washington Mystics.
The Los Angeles Spark selected Alabama women’s basketball guard Sarah Ashlee Barker with the No. 9 pick in the WNBA draft on Monday.
Barker was in attendance in New York for the draft. She recently capped off her Crimson Tide career with a 45-point outburst in an NCAA Tournament second-round loss to Maryland, it set a new school record.
Barker led the Crimson Tide with 18.2 points per game, even missing five SEC games with a leg injury. She scored 20 points in 10 games adding 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and two steals per game in 2024-25.
A second Alabama Crimson Tide women’s basketball player has been selected in the 2025 WNBA draft, as Aaliyah Nye was drafted with the No. 13 overall pick by the Las Vegas Aces.
The first pick of the second round, Nye joins Sarah Ashlee Barker among Alabama players drafted Monday night, as the guard was selected with the No. 9 overall pick by the Los Angeles Sparks.
Originally beginning her collegiate career at Illinois, Nye has spent each of the last three seasons in Tuscaloosa as a key member of Alabama’s roster who averaged a combined 13 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Nye is also one of the top three-point shooters in program history, as the guard posted a combined 43.9% mark while at Alabama.
