On paper, Alabama football looks deeper across the board for 2025. If the Crimson Tide can get its quarterback position figured out, Kalen DeBoer’s second season in charge has potential to go better than his first.

DeBoer was asked about the team’s prospects Tuesday, at spring meetings. He acknowledge that his 9-4 first season did not fully meet fan expectations.

I think last year, it didn’t play itself out like you want, but I think a lot of things that came weren’t so farfetched when it came to what you expect a first-year season in the SEC to be at Alabama,” DeBoer said. “It’s going to be a grind. It’s going to test you, as far as staying the course, and just test our team as far as sticking together.

“That’s going to be every year, and it just is on another level, I guess, when you really look at guys leaving the program and not getting an opportunity to bring too many in just because of the timing of when the transition happened. But we’re in a good spot right now because I think our guys have really found out who wants to be here. They’ve really dug in deep.”

DeBoer wasn’t the only one answering questions about the upcoming 2025 season. Athletics director Greg Byrne finished up with meetings on Tuesday, and was shortly thereafter asked about the potential for improvement from the Crimson Tide.

Byrne also sounded positive about the upcoming campaign.

“I really admire the job that coach DeBoer has done,” Byrne said. “His staff, adjustments that we continue to make. And everybody’s gonna say the weight room’s really good in the offseason, spring ball’s really good, that’s the old lines, right? Ours have been really good.”

Alabama completed spring football in April, with an open practice replacing the traditional A-Day game. Byrne echoed DeBoer, and said he was impressed by how bought-in the Crimson Tide players seemed to be.”

He also pointed to UA’s new offensive coordinator as a good move for the Tide.

“I think having coach (Ryan) Grubb there has been a real positive for the program,” Byrne said. “And Kalen’s leadership through through this historical transition has been really good across the board.”

The SEC will continue its spring meetings in Miramar Beach, Fl. through Thursday. The Crimson Tide will open its 2025 season with a trip to play Florida State in Tallahassee.