The Alabama Crimson Tide returned to the College Football Playoff in 2025 for the first time under head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Despite those improvements, the team still didn't look like the team that Alabama fans are accustomed to. The defense was a solid unit, but the offense was the surprise.

Under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide would punish you in the run game. The offensive line would dominate the line of scrimmage, and the running backs would be some of the best in the country.

Alabama Run Game Struggles

That was not the case this past season. In fact, the run game was a major problem all season long. The Crimson Tide finished ranked No. 125 in rushing offense at just 104.1 yards per game. They also had just 21 rushing touchdowns on the season.

Alabama had a passing attack that was able to overcome this major flaw last year, as quarterback Ty Simpson threw for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns. This resulted in him being selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Now, the Crimson Tide has to turn to redshirt freshman Keelon Russell or redshirt junior Alex Mack.

Offensive Line Concerns

While Simpson was able to overcome a poor running game, it's not certain that Russell and Mack could do the same. That's why it's important for the running game and offensive line to be improved. The big issue there is that reports out of camp don't sound too promising.

247 Sports' Alex Scarborough appeared on "The Paul Finebaum Show," where he discussed the offensive line performance this summer. Scarborough said it could be the thing that holds this team back.

"If you are just basing it on what you saw in the spring and at A-Day, it looked bad," Scarborough said.

"There's no way around it. I left A-Day thinking that was the only observation that mattered was that the offensive line isn't good enough and it's a potential pitfall in terms of reaching the playoff. Could that change? Absolutely."

Championship Standard Pressure

That's not what an Alabama fan wants to hear, with the season a few months away. While there is still time to fix any issues, sometimes you just don't have the right players.

Last season, the team had stars in Kaydn Proctor and Parker Brailsford. They also had a solid player in Geno VanDeMark. Despite that, the offensive line underperformed.

So, that raises the question: Is it a talent issue in Tuscaloosa, or is it a coaching issue? The Crimson Tide should never be one of the worst rushing offenses in college football, yet they were.

They better not do it back-to-back seasons, or that could be the final nail in DeBoer's tenure at Alabama.