Former Alabama safety Roman Harper recently shared insights about a potential factor that may have contributed to the Crimson Tide’s struggles early in the 2025 season.
The long-time SEC Network analyst and former standout defensive back indicated that the team’s morning practice schedule under head coach Kalen DeBoer played a role in the program’s difficulties during its season-opening game against Florida State.
Harper noted that Alabama had not frequently practiced during the afternoon time slots that matched the conditions they faced in Tallahassee. The Tide opened the year with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff in the Florida heat, and Harper suggested the unfamiliar timing took a toll.
“I had heard that was one of the big struggles for Alabama versus Florida State,” Harper said on Next Round Live. “They really haven’t practiced a lot of times at that time slot. And then to go down to Tallahassee at a 3:30 game where it was cooking, and all of a sudden you look up, and everybody look— and the film doesn’t lie, the guys look dead tired. They looked tired. They had lost mentally and physically in that game.”
The morning practice approach arrived in Tuscaloosa with DeBoer when he took over the program. Before his first season, the coach explained his preference for early sessions and how he believed the structure could benefit the team.
DeBoer has maintained that there is no single correct way to schedule practices, pointing to past success with both morning and afternoon workouts. He has emphasized his ability to build a weekly schedule around morning sessions and expressed appreciation for the players’ willingness to adapt to the routine he has used effectively in previous stops.
Despite the early-season observations Harper referenced, the morning practice schedule is expected to continue this fall. Alabama is set to begin fall camp this week in Tuscaloosa, with the same timing approach remaining in place under DeBoer.
The conversation around practice timing highlights the many variables that influence performance in college football, particularly when a team transitions to a new coaching staff and system. Heat, game times, and preparation habits can all intersect in ways that affect energy levels and execution on the field.
Harper’s comments offer one perspective on the 2025 opener and the challenges the Tide faced in that environment.
The ex-defensive back is also not the only former Alabama player who has called out DeBoer, as ESPN’s Paul Finebaum recently revealed that an unnamed player doesn’t think DeBoer is capable of winning a national championship in Tuscaloosa.
As the program moves into another season with DeBoer at the helm, the consistency of the morning practice structure will remain a notable element of the team’s preparation routine.
Alabama will open the campaign at home against East Carolina on Sept. 5.
