Former Alabama Quarterback Pitches Alma Mater as 2026 National Championship Contender

Former Alabama quarterback turned ESPN color commentator Greg McElroy voiced his optimism for the Crimson Tide's 2026 season on a recent episode of his ESPN podcast Always College Football. 

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The former Crimson Tide quarterback won a national championship as a starter, helping Nick Saban claim his first national championship at Alabama with a victory over Texas in the 2010 BCS National Championship, played after the 2009 regular season. Despite his time in Tuscaloosa, McElroy has been critical of his alma mater at times, often justified.

However, with 200 days until the start of Alabama's 2026 football season, his tone has shifted in support of third-year Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, who appears to finally have his players in the building after Saban's players were scattered on the roster for the last two seasons.

"You think about what Kalen DeBoer has had to do over the last couple of years,” McElroy said on a recent episode of Always College Football. “I want you to just imagine taking over one of the most successful restaurants in the world, and for two years, you’ve used the previous owner’s ingredients.

"You’ve kind of followed his recipe, and you’ve made a really nice meal. I mean, a really nice meal. But, in the back of your mind, you’re thinking, ‘Wait until they taste my signature dishes.’ Well, that might be what we see this year when we talk about the Alabama Crimson Tide.”

DeBoer's 'signature dishes' appear to be in place for the 2026 season. Just one player who played on Alabama's 2023 roster is still with the team: seventh-year Wolf Jah-Marien Latham. The Crimson Tide returned to the College Football Playoff after going 9-3 in the regular season and missing the playoffs in DeBoer's first season in 2024. In 2025, Alabama finished with a 10-4 record, but was 10-2 in the regular season, clinching an appearance in the SEC Championship before defeating the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the playoffs. The Tide then fell to the eventual national champion, the Indiana Hoosiers, in the Rose Bowl.

Alabama will need to replace starting quarterback Ty Simpson, marking DeBoer's third new quarterback during his tenure with the Tide. Redshirt junior Austin Mack and redshirt freshman Keelon Russell will compete for the starting job after battling with Ty Simpson last season, and no matter who wins the battle, McElroy believes Alabama has a chance to continue to climb next season.

"They’re a team with a new identity. They are going to have a lot of new faces, a lot of young players,” McElroy said. “They do have a high-octane offense, though, and they should have a chip on the shoulder from last year’s loss in the Rose Bowl to Indiana. I also think there’s a lot of guys on this roster that are eager to prove that they want to show up. They want to maintain the standard that’s been expected at Alabama for a very long time.

"I like the dynamic around the facility. Everyone’s got a chip on their shoulder, and sitting there at 27-1 right now, the odds are a little bit longer than you usually get when it comes to Alabama and a national championship run. It’s a really talented team that you feel pretty confident that Kalen DeBoer has his guys now in a position to kind of get the ball rolling in the right direction.”

Alabama returns just two starters on offense from last season: junior wide receiver Ryan Williams and sophomore right tackle Michael Carroll. Defensively, Alabama returns five starters, but only one in the front four: redshirt junior Wolf linebacker Yhonzae Pierre. The Tide returns four starters in the secondary: cornerbacks Zabien Brown (junior) and Dijon Lee Jr. (sophomore), and safeties Bray Hubbard (senior) and Keon Sabb (redshirt senior).

DeBoer and Alabama will start spring practice in less than a month and will return to the gridiron on April 11 for the annual A-Day spring event. Alabama's first game of the 2026 season will be on September 5 against East Carolina at home in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.