When Kalen DeBoer looks at what he has at his disposal, the Alabama football coach sees “an overall roster.”
With the court-approved House settlement that gives collegiate athletes a piece of revenue sharing, the Crimson Tide and other major college football programs no longer have to adhere to the 85-scholarship limit, but instead face a roster cap of 105 players.
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As of the start of spring football, Alabama has 115 players listed on its roster. This does not count the seven players, at least, who are planned to enroll with the Crimson Tide for its summer session, like four-star defensive lineman Nolan Wilson and three-star defensive end Malique’ Franklin.
An SEC spokesman confirmed that member schools, including Alabama, must declare its official 105-man roster by the first game of the 2026 season.
With the roster limit instead of a scholarship limit, Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said the conversation surrounding recruiting in all sports has shifted. The question now is how many spots can a team offer revenue share or potential Name, Image and Likeness deals, compared to a scholarship or roster spot.
Byrne said athletes and their families come in with “more knowledge than there was a couple of years ago.” And the balance for Alabama remains the same: finding the right athletes for each team while making sure that those athletes want to have a team around them.
“We understand NIL and rev share is a reality,” Byrne told The Tuscaloosa News. “We’re going to make sure we’re competitive in that space. And at the same time, too, if a young man or young woman only cares about how much they get and they don’t look at it holistically as a team, I’m not sure if that’s necessarily the right fit for you.”
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That’s the approach DeBoer took even with a roster currently more than the 105-man limit.
“You’re always trying to build up your floor, too,” DeBoer said. “Whether that’s young guys or new guys or just guys raising their level, it makes your program better altogether.”
DeBoer said Alabama made this a priority as 2026 nears, trying to bring up the bottom part of the roster to “lift our entire team.”
“I appreciate what our staff’s done, not just focusing on the stars and the guys that’ve transferred in,” DeBoer said. “Those ones, but also those twos and threes and walk-ons are a huge part of what we do, whether it’s practice reps and looks and scouts or just the culture of your program. I’m really proud of the guys who have stayed. Proud of the guys that’ve come in and been fighting. That’s what makes a great football team.”
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With all of the change, with roster limitations instead of scholarship limitations, Byrne said one thing remains the same: football players, and athletes in general, want to play for the University of Alabama.
“We’re very fortunate we have a very, extremely strong brand,” Byrne said. “And we’re going to do everything we can to make sure it stays that way.”
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football has 115 on spring roster with 105-player limit
