Alabama is 4-0 and sitting at No. 7 in the latest AP Top 25, but coach Kalen DeBoer made clear Monday that the Crimson Tide still have a lot of work ahead as the schedule gets heavier.
The Tide rolled past South Carolina 49-18 on Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium, improving to 2-0 in the SEC. Quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns on 21-of-27 passing and added a rushing score. Alabama has scored 48, 45, 50 and 49 points in its first four games.
Even after that kind of start, DeBoer pointed to roster depth as the next step.
“We’ve got to continue to build some depth,” DeBoer said.
Early injuries have already forced younger players into bigger roles. Linebackers Justin Hill and Desmond Umeozulu both missed the South Carolina game with lower-extremity injuries suffered against Florida State. DeBoer said Monday that Hill’s absence should be shorter, while Umeozulu is expected to miss more time.
Several other players remain sidelined for longer stretches, including some who will miss the rest of the season. That has put extra snaps on backups and freshmen who are still learning how the pieces fit.
“A lot of it is because of youth that’s on the field, or guys just working together,” DeBoer said.
Russell, a sophomore in his first year as the full-time starter, has completed 70.9 percent of his passes for 1,129 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also run for 168 yards and three scores. The offense has piled up big yardage at home, but the staff knows the margin for error shrinks on the road.
Alabama now heads to Starkville to face No. 16 Mississippi State on Saturday. The Bulldogs are also 4-0 and 2-0 in league play. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on ABC.
DeBoer stressed that each opponent will look different, so the Tide cannot just fix last week’s problems and call it good.
“What we see this week is gonna be different than what we see next week and down the road,” DeBoer said.
After Mississippi State, Alabama hosts No. 2 Georgia, then visits Tennessee and later faces LSU. The stretch will test how quickly the younger players and reserves can settle in.
The Tide defense limited South Carolina to 3-of-14 on third down and forced a pick-six by Red Morgan that helped push the lead to 35-3 before halftime. Still, the Gamecocks cut the deficit in the third quarter before Alabama answered with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
DeBoer keeps bringing the conversation back to what happens inside the building rather than the next ranked opponent on the calendar.
“I think it always comes back to us, is what we preach internally and what we’ll continue to focus on,” DeBoer said.
Alabama has now appeared in 300 consecutive AP polls, a streak that dates to the 2008 preseason. That kind of consistency is rare, but it does not change the immediate task. Depth, health and week-to-week adjustments will decide whether the 4-0 start holds up through October.
The coaching staff is already rotating more players at linebacker and along the offensive line after tackle Jayvin James left the South Carolina game. Those extra snaps are exactly what DeBoer says the roster needs if Alabama is going to keep developing.
Mississippi State has not beaten Alabama in 19 years. The Bulldogs will get their chance in front of a home crowd that has seen an unbeaten start of its own. For the Tide, the trip is the first real test of whether the depth they keep talking about is actually there.
