Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and ESPN college football commentator Greg McElroy disagrees with his alma mater’s ranking in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.
Alabama was ranked No. 8 in the preseason Coaches Poll on Monday, one spot below the Oregon Ducks at No. 7 and one spot ahead of the LSU Tigers at No. 9. The Texas Longhorns were No. 1, followed by the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 2.
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McElroy unveiled his own preseason top 10 rankings on the Thursday edition of his podcast, “Always College Football.” The starting quarterback for Alabama’s 2009 national championship team has the Crimson Tide at No. 5 entering the 2025 season.
Only one SEC team (Texas at No. 4) ranked ahead of the Crimson Tide, who landed one spot in front of the Georgia Bulldogs in McElroy’s top 10.
McElroy boasted about the Crimson Tide’s wide receiver room and secondary unit, giving particular praise to sophomore sensation Ryan Williams, Miami Hurricanes transfer Isaiah Horton, and senior Germie Bernard.
“Outside of Jeremiah Smith, I think most people would look at Ryan Williams as the second best game-breaking wide receiver in America this year. Going into his second year, getting bigger, getting more physical, getting stronger and now the ability to slide into his more natural position of flanker, strong side receiver, that’s exactly where he can really excel to the point in which he becomes an All-American his first two years on campus.” –ESPN’s Greg McElroy on Ryan Williams.
Horton, who had the second most catches for Miami a year ago with top overall NFL Draft pick Cam Ward at quarterback, will be a matchup problem for opponents this season, McElroy believes.
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“His addition to the more traditional X position where he’s going to be the weak side isolation wide receiver, he’s a matchup problem,” McElroy said of Horton. “A guy that’s going to win a lot of one-on-ones and can go up and make those contested catches in the red zone.”
Horton caught 56 passes for 616 yards as a sophomore in 2024. McElroy believes Horton’s 6-foot-4 frame gives Alabama some much-needed size at receiver compared to Williams and Bernard (6-foot-1).
“Last year, Alabama at wide receiver was a little undersized,” McElroy said. “They didn’t have great length. They didn’t have guys that were able to go up and win that super physical 50-50 ball. Isaiah Horton is now that guy, which allows Germie Bernard to slide more into the slot and be a versatile piece that can motion, can give you the jet sweep, line up in the backfield, slide into the slot and create a matchup problem.”
By themselves, Williams, Bernard and Horton have a chance to be one of the best trios at wide receiver in the country, McElroy believes. And that’s not counting the overall depth that Alabama has at receiver.
“You’ve got Cole Adams. He’s back from injury and should be a really solid slot receiver. They have Jalen Hale, and there’s tons of buzz about a redshirt freshman named Rico Scott who a lot of people believe is on the cusp of of a potential breakout year.” –Greg McElroy on Alabama’s wide receiver room.
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Alabama secondary one of Tide’s biggest strengths
McElroy praised Alabama’s secondary unit as one of the best in the country entering 2025, a sentiment shared by CBS Sports, PFF (Pro Football Focus) and others earlier this summer.
“I wouldn’t be surprised, honestly, in the secondary if they’re in the top two, top three, maybe even the top spot overall,” he said Thursday. “They have so much experience back there and they have so much talent in the back end.”
McElroy got into what he liked most about the Crimson Tide’s defensive backs, beginning with returning starters Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown at cornerback, and Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb at safety.
“In the secondary, this was the biggest question mark on the entire roster (in 2024). Now, it’s probably their biggest strength. You bring back Domani Jackson, who had a chance to go pro but decided to return. You bring back Bray Hubbard, who had a breakthrough year last year because when Keon Sabb got hurt, Hubbard stepped in and had a highly productive season there as a first-year starter.
“Keon Sabb is now back healthy. He played most of last year with an injured foot. He ends up breaking that foot against Tennessee and was lost for the year, but the fact that he played most of last year on one leg tells you what this guy might be capable of.” –Greg McElroy on Alabama’s secondary heading into 2025
McElroy believes that Brown in particular could become an elite cornerback.
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“Zabien Brown, who had a really good freshman year, could take a big leap as a lockdown corner,” McElroy said. “You add Cam Calhoun from Utah, he’s going to be a great depth piece there as a nickel… (Cornerback) is probably their deepest position, and maybe their most talented position.”
The biggest concern for Alabama football entering 2025
McElroy said his biggest concern for Alabama was its ability to stay healthy. To that end, Sabb missed the second half of last year after his season-ending injury at Tennessee. Linebacker Deontae Lawson also went down for the year with an ACL tear in the late-season loss at Oklahoma.
McElroy believes Alabama is “better equipped” to handle injuries this season.
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“But in the event they have a similar injury year to what they had a year ago, they could get really young in a hurry. That’s something that you have to be mind of,” he cautioned.
As it stands, McElroy says that Alabama’s starting 22 is as strong as any in college football.
“Their starting 22 is outstanding and if they stay healthy across the board, do not be surprised if this team is contending again for a national championship. But if they get banged up the way they did a little bit last year, then that level of play could drop off and that could lead to an unforeseen loss at some point throughout the season.”
Alabama football schedule 2025
Alabama opens the season against Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Aug. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC.
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Aug. 30: at Florida State, 2:30 p.m., ABC
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Sept. 6: vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network
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Sept. 13: vs. Wisconsin, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN
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Sept. 27: at Georgia, 6:30 p.m., ABC
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Oct. 4: vs. Vanderbilt, TBA
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Oct. 11: at Missouri, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN
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Oct. 25: at South Carolina, TBA
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Nov. 8: vs. LSU, prime time
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Nov. 22 vs. Eastern Illinois, 1 p.m., ESPN+
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football behind only one SEC team entering 2025, McElroy says
