16-07-2025
Why Kalen DeBoer felt Alabama football offense was 'limited' in 2024, and won't be in 2025
Kalen DeBoer made it clear. The Alabama football head coach feels the Crimson Tide's offensive output will be different in 2025.
It's not only because of Alabama's addition of Ryan Grubb, the Crimson Tide's new offensive coordinator who's been closely tied to DeBoer throughout his coaching career. It's a matter of reps and experience.
"I think football, if you're doing what you should be doing, you should always be built around your personnel," DeBoer said on "The Millers' Edge" podcast July 15. "Both sides of the ball, all phases. … It starts with your quarterback. I think you're always going to evolve as you go through a season. And last year we evolved in some ways, but I think we were still limited. I don't mean limited because of the players. I just think it's limited because of the amount of work, the volume of work that you had together."
In 2024, Alabama had the third-best scoring offense in the SEC with 33.8 points per game, but finished seventh in total offense (410.2 yards per game).
And while DeBoer said it starts with the quarterback, someone who "has to have full confidence that everyone is on the same page" when making a check, the Alabama coach said it continues into the offensive line room that has shown continuity, and in a receiver room he feels is "just different."
"We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things, which is going to make you hard to defend," DeBoer said, mentioning Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, Rico Scott and Miami transfer Isaiah Horton by name.
At quarterback, DeBoer mentioned the growth of both Ty Simpson and Austin Mack with "another year in the system," while five-star freshman Keelon Russell has done "a really great job ... of getting those reps that he needs to be comfortable."
With Grubb at the helm of the offense, DeBoer said Alabama has someone who "hashes out the details," explaining not only the "how" of a scheme, but also the "why."
"There's just another level of depth to the just the feeling that you know what to expect when you've had the relationship that we have had for so many years," DeBoer said.
Alabama opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 at Florida State.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kalen DeBoer feels Alabama football offense won't be 'limited' in 2025
