With the spring portal window past, Alabama football’s 2025 roster is as set as it can be. The Crimson Tide has more continuity across the board this year than it did for 2024, when Kalen DeBoer, Kane Wommack and most of the rest of the coaching staff were changing.

DeBoer and company continue to build the Crimson Tide in their vision, including an influx of talent on defense. With three transfers and two freshman, here are five newcomers who could make a difference for UA.

Kelby Collins

The Birmingham native, who considered the Crimson Tide during his high school recruitment process, transfers in from Florida. He switched positions from edge to defensive end during his time with the Gators, and will be versatile again at Alabama.

Collins saw snaps at both the bandit spot, which is Wommack’s version of a standard defensive end, and at defensive tackle, during A-Day.

“He’s playing inside and outside, which is a lot to ask for a guy coming in new,” Wommack said during spring practice. “Like some things I see from him. He’s growing and learning into the position. Learning the defense. Fundamentally how we do things vs. where he was before, you see some differences there.”

Collins might have a hard time starting at either spot. However, he could provide valuable depth at both, improving a Crimson Tide defense that could be thin across the board last season.

Nikhai Hill-Green

Alabama is Hill-Green’s fourth school. The graduate senior began his career at Michigan, where he remained for three years, before spending a season at Charlotte and the past two with Deion Sanders at Colorado.

Hill-Green will likely be a rotation piece at linebacker for the Crimson Tide. After his signing, defensive coordinator Kane Wommack emphasized how important having a veteran presence could be.

“Here’s a guy with a lot of experience, he’s played a lot of snaps,” Wommack said. “When we got him in there, and had meetings with him, talked ball with him during his official visit it was very evident how smart of a ball player he was, how good of a communicator he’s gonna be.”

Cameron Calhoun

Alabama continued to rebuild a defensive backs group that absorbed big losses after Nick Saban’s retirement by bringing in the Utah transfer. Calhoun started one game for the Utes last season, playing in 11.

So far, Calhoun, who won a national title his freshman year at Michigan, has brought a fiery presence to the defensive backs room.

“He has a maturity about him,” Wommack said of Calhoun during spring practice. “You can tell this dude’s been a seasoned player at a place that’s established itself as one of the great defenses year in and year out at Utah. It’s not an easy task to get on the field at that program, and he was, a starter, so it’s awesome to be able to gain that experience.

“He’s got a little — he’s from Cincinnati, and those Cincinnati guys, if you’ve ever recruited that area, they’ve got a little something to them, you know what I mean? He plays with a good energy. He plays with a mindset of attacking the ball and brings some juice to our group.”

Dijon Lee Jr.

A five-star freshman cornerback, Lee isn’t exactly built for his position. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 197 pounds, taller than most corners.

Still, Alabama coaches have said that he intends to stay there, at least for the time being. Wommack praised how well the youngster has adapted to the college level so far, and said he expected Lee to contribute as a freshman.

“That’s always impressive to me when you can have a freshman that can compete in the SEC,” Wommack said. “Obviously the measurables, the talent, the skill level, the discipline, he reminds me a little bit of Zabien (Brown) and how disciplined and detailed Zabien was when he got here. Mo Linguist does a tremendous job with that group in terms of building in the fundamentals and the discipline to do your job over and over again.

Ivan Taylor

The son of former NFL safety Ike Taylor, the freshman made an impact immediately during Alabama’s A-Day practice. He picked off Keelon Russell early in the session, one of several nice plays for Taylor.

Taylor was a four-star prospect and the second-ranked safety in the 2025 class according to 247Sports. He’ll have players ahead of him on the depth chart, but could make an impact when he does get on the field.

Wommack said Taylor needs to be more consistent, but praised his potential after A-Day.

“He’s really done a nice job,” Wommack said. “Ivan, he’s got a ton of energy. He’s excited to be out there every single day. He’s got a hunger to learn and I think he’s probably one of the best open-field tacklers I’ve seen as a freshman. Being able to get people on the ground, you know, that is a very challenging, difficult skill, and certainly one that I think he’s really come in probably way above average for what you would see for a young freshman. He’s got a real knack for the ball and I’m excited to kind of build upon that.”