When it comes down to it, when the dust settles in December and the College Football Playoff committee decides who’s in and who’s out, the only numbers that really matter are the wins and the losses.
If Alabama can pile up enough of the former and limit the latter, it’ll have a great shot to head back to the Playoff in Year 3 of the Kalen DeBoer era with a chance to do what Nick Saban did in his magical Year 3. After arriving in Tuscaloosa in 2007, all Saban did in that third season was capture his first of 6 national titles at Alabama, something DeBoer might be reminded of a time or 2 this offseason.
It’s a results-based business but it’s also a numbers game, and the Crimson Tide players who put up the biggest numbers in each of the biggest statistical categories will have a giant say in what that win-loss column looks like in December (and maybe January). Right now, in the middle of May, predicting Alabama’s stat leaders in every major category in 2026 is a total guessing game, especially considering we have no idea who the starting quarterback is going to be.
But we’ll grab hold of that proverbial crystal ball, gaze into what’s to come this fall and play that guessing game. Here it goes:
Passing yards — Keelon Russell
Listen, a whole lot can happen between now and the Sept. 5 season opener against East Carolina. Austin Mack was a little banged up in the spring game, and that opened the door for Russell in this fierce quarterback battle. But Russell didn’t walk in the door. He slammed through it, firing darts in that A-Day aerial show, and so we’re leaning toward where the general momentum is going right now. If Russell does get the nod in fall camp, he might not reach 3,567 yards passing like Ty Simpson did last season, but he should be pushing the 3,000-yard mark, especially if Bama is Playoff-bound.
Touchdown passes — Keelon Russell
Again, we’re leaning Russell right now because that’s where the A-Day Game left us. Russell has a lot of work left this summer and into fall camp to make his spring surge hold up. But when a veteran star on the other side of the ball like Bray Hubbard is calling your arm a “cannon” and when Hubbard says “you can hear the ball sizzle” when Russell fires it, then you know there’s enormous potential. Ty Simpson tossed 28 TD passes in 2025 and remember it was his first (and only) season as a starter, so why can’t Russell throw at least that many and maybe a few more with that cannon of an arm?
Interceptions — Keelon Russell
If Russell does win the job over Austin Mack, he’s going to have a tough act to follow in this department, because Ty Simpson only threw 5 interceptions last season. Simpson was in the Alabama program for 3 years before taking over as The Guy, compared to Russell, who’s only entering his second year in T-Town. That’s a big difference, and should Russell become the starter we’ll see if he can protect the ball as well as Simpson did. Can Russell harness that talented arm and keep those INTs in the single digits?
Rushing yards — EJ Crowell
Yes, the 5-star in-state prize out of Jackson was forced to watch most of spring ball because of a soft-tissue injury, which included him not being able to showcase himself in the A-Day Game. Instead of making his real first impression on Bama fans on April 11, he was seen in a boot and getting around in a scooter. But all that could become ancient history this fall because Kalen DeBoer has a “high ceiling” for the guy who was named Mr. Football in the state of Alabama last year. Sure, predicting a true freshman to lead the Tide in rushing is a little bit of a leap of faith, but all the ingredients for it to actually happen are there.
Crowell is immensely talented. None of Bama’s returning backs rushed for more than 300 yards last season, with Daniel Hill’s 284 leading the way. And DeBoer has gone the freshman route before at running back, leaning on a pair of them when he was the offensive coordinator at Fresno State in 2017. For an Alabama program desperate to revive its ground game, led by whoever, it’s hardly out of the question for a healthy Crowell to end up with the most yards rushing.
Rushing touchdowns — Daniel Hill
Hill showed a nose for the end zone last season, when he was playing behind Jam Miller and before he dropped all that weight for spring ball. He led the Tide with 6 rushing touchdowns last season, when no other running back had more than 3 TDs. Even if freshman EJ Crowell somehow takes ownership of the backfield load, or Kevin Riley or AK Dear, there’s no reason to believe a Hill who’s a year wiser and a little leaner won’t remain the touchdown machine he became last fall.
Receptions — Ryan Coleman-Williams
He’s got a new name, a new number (1 instead of 2) and some old motivation to set things right in 2026. After his breakout freshman campaign at age 17, it was a sophomore year of struggles for the then-named Ryan Williams. But despite it all, he still caught 49 passes. And that was still second on the team behind Germie Bernard, who now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The guy who ranked third was Isaiah Horton, who transferred to SEC rival Texas A&M, so there’s no reason to think Coleman-Williams won’t lead the way in this category and maybe by a long shot, with his relentless work ethic as a tailwind.
Receiving yards — Ryan Coleman-Williams
The only player still on the roster who came within earshot of Coleman-Williams’ 689 yards receiving last season was Lotzeir Brooks, who had a respectable 441. While Brooks figures to increase that total as the presumed No. 2 receiver this fall, Coleman-Williams will almost certainly increase his total from what was a disappointing season by the standard he set as a freshman. Throw in that NC State transfer Noah Rogers is set to miss the start of the season with an injury suffered in the A-Day Game and there’s really no reason Coleman-Williams shouldn’t lead the way here and well eclipse his sophomore total.
Receiving touchdowns — Lotzeir Brooks
We’ll take a flyer here with Brooks, even though he only caught 2 touchdowns last season despite having a breakout season in general with 32 catches. The reason? Well, for one, defenses should be overloading even more on Ryan Coleman-Williams when Alabama is in the red zone. That should leave a little more open space down there for Brooks, and Coleman-Williams only caught 4 TDs himself in 2025. The reality is there’s a whole lot of TD production to replace this fall with Isaiah Horton (8 TDs) having transferred, while Germie Bernard (7 TDs) and tight end Josh Cuevas (4 TDs) are gone to the NFL.
Look for Brooks to take full advantage with a big leap in this category.
Sacks — Yhonzae Pierre
Pierre shouldn’t just lead the Crimson Tide in sacks in 2026, as he did by a wide margin in 2025. He has the potential to be one of the top defensive players in the SEC and maybe college football. The Alabama native has been touted by departed Bama star linebacker Deontae Lawson as the next in line of Tide standouts at the position, and that passing of the baton will be on display this fall with Pierre switching from No. 42 to the No. 0 that Lawson wore. Assuming he stays healthy, there’s no reason Pierre shouldn’t easily eclipse the 8 sacks he had last season.
Total tackles — Caleb Woodson
Bama lost 3 of its top 4 tacklers from last season, and it would be easy to tab star safety Bray Hubbard as the choice here with his 74 tackles being far and away the top returning total. But having a defensive back as your tackles leader is a dangerous way to live, so we’ll go with Woodson, the Virginia Tech transfer who’s set to step right into 1 of the 2 huge holes at inside linebacker. Woodson had 57 tackles for the Hokies last season, and he piled up 72 the year before in Blacksburg. Combine super ability with super motivation on the SEC stage and there is potential for an 80-plus-tackle season. The Tide are counting on big things right away.
Interceptions — Zabien Brown
The leader here could be any one of a number of elite members of what might be the best secondary in the country. Bray Hubbard led the Tide last season with 4 picks, and the stud safety could very well equal or eclipse that interception total this fall. But we’ll go with a playmaking cornerback in Brown who made his 2 INTs count in 2025, with both coming on huge primetime stages in huge showdown games against Tennessee and Oklahoma (a first-round Playoff game), and by the way, they were both returned for touchdowns. Count on some more heroics from Brown this fall, with a few more interceptions tacked on.
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