From Marcell Dareus to Jonathan Allen to Quinnen Williams, Alabama has led all of college football with dominant defensive lines for the entirety of the 2010s. The last 5 years, though, they’ve been good, but have lacked that superstar power to really push them over the edge.
Going into 2025, this group has a veteran trio of returning starters who will all be looking to break that mold and take the next step into becoming an elite unit. Behind them, there’s a lot of room for any of the young players to step up and become role players, as most all of the depth is still very inexperienced.
In Kane Wommack’s defensive scheme, there are three positions, with one of them being fairly distinct from the other two. First, there’s the nose tackle and the defensive tackle. Typically, the biggest guys will be on the nose, but that’s not always the case. The two positions can be fairly interchangeable as just “interior defensive tackles”. The third guy, though, is the “Bandit”. This is a fairly unique approach to a 3-man front defense, and Wommack likes using a 275 (ish) pound player as something of a hybrid between a 3rd interior lineman and an edge rusher. It’s a body type that Nick Saban rarely had on the team over the last two decades, so it’s still something of a new experience for Alabama fans.
Tim Smith – The multi-year veteran starter for Alabama never quite lived up to his 5-star recruiting rankings, but he was still a dependable contributor for the Tide. He was drafted in the 6th round by the Colts.
Damon Payne – Payne was also a former 5-star that played a lot for the Tide the last two years as a rotational backup, but never made any real impact. He was a graduate transfer this December and went to Michigan, where he’s trying to win the starting job to get a shot at the NFL.
Hunter Osborne – Never saw any game action in his two years on campus. He transferred to Virginia.
#96 Tim Keenan III (RSr) 6’2” 320
Big Tim enters his third year as Alabama’s starting nose tackle. He was very effective last season for a nose, racking up 7.5 tackles for loss, which was 2nd on the team behind linebacker Jihaad Campbell. He was one of Coach DeBoer’s selections to join him at SEC Media Days this year, and seems to be on track to be a team captain this season.
Keenan has been a solid presence for the Tide for years, and will continue to be a stalwart in the middle this year.
#23 James Smith (Jr) 6’3” 297
A top-ten recruit two seasons ago, Smith saw some rotational time as a true freshman before growing into a bigger role last year as a half-starter, rotating with veteran Tim Smith all season. His best game of the year was his final one, where he notched two tackles for loss and a sack against Michigan. Smith has an explosive burst that has flashed intermittently, and Alabama fans will be hoping that him becoming a full time starter will allow him to really add that interior pass rush juice to the team. If he can live up to his potential and break out, it’ll make all the difference for this defense.
#22 LT Overton (Sr) 6’5” 278
Overton was a consensus 5-star recruit and part of Texas A&M’s ridiculous 2022 recruiting class. The Aggies couldn’t figure out a position for him, playing him at both edge rusher and linebacker and having him drop about 20 pounds from his high school size.
In his first year at Alabama, Wommack moved him to the Bandit role, which seemed to fit like a nice, snuggly glove for him. Overton was highly disruptive for Alabama as a presence on the edge of the line, creating all kinds of pressure all season. At the same time, he did struggle to actually make the finishing tackles after pressuring the QBs all game, and as such his stats don’t represent how much impact he had.
Like with the other two guys, Overton is highly talented, now has the experience, and will be looking to take the next step from “good” player to “great” player.
#11 Jordan Renaud (RSo) 6’4” 265
Renaud started appearing in the regular rotation at Bandit a bit in the second half of last season, making 14 total tackles. He flashed a high-energy pass rush from the edge as a young player and has been mentioned as a guy who keeps pushing for more playing time.
#31 Keon Keeley (RSo) 6’5” 282
Keeley has been an interesting case. He was the #2 player in his recruiting class a couple of years ago as an edge rusher/linebacker, but he hit something of a growth spurt upon arriving in Tuscaloosa and transitioned to defensive line after his first season. It’s taken a while for him to adjust, but the word is that he’s really filled into his frame and has been making waves this offseason. He may very well be ready to push Renaud and even Overton for playing time, as he has upper-tier elite NFL athleticism and potential.
#92 Jeremiah Beaman (RFr) 6’4” 314
Beaman was a redshirt player last season that suddenly exploded during bowl practices and played a major role against Michigan in the bowl game. He’s expected to be a bigger part of the rotation this season, likely spelling Keenan at nose tackle.
#94 Edric Hill (RSo) 6’3” 284
Hill played fairly frequently as a rotational reserve last season as a redshirt freshman, and looks to be solidly a second-team player now. He’s gotten a lot of positive mentions this spring and fall.
#88 Isaia Faga (RFr) 6’2” 296
Faga redshirted last year and only saw the field a couple of times in blowout wins.
If you want to check out my scouting reports of the newcomers from this spring, check out the Meet the New Guys series.
#17 Kelby Collins (Jr) 6’4” 275
Collins was a Freshman All-SEC player for Florida a couple of seasons ago, but then had a poor follow up sophomore year for the Gators, lost playing time, and transferred. He’s played at both interior defensive tackle and Bandit, so we’re not totally sure what his role will be. News surrounding him has also been very quiet all offseason, so that may not be a good sign for a guy who was hoping to transfer for more playing time.
#14 Fatutoa “Kevonte” Henry (RJr) 6’4” 268
Henry was one of the top players in the JUCO circuit last year as an edge rusher. He’s bulked up about 20 pounds since coming to Alabama and seems to have settled in at Bandit. It’s hard to see where he’ll find playing time this year, but he’s got plenty of experience under his belt.
#25 Steve MBoumoua (So) 6’4” 302
Mboumoua was in Alabama’s recruiting class a year ago as a native Canadian who had only recently moved from soccer to playing football. He wound up deciding to spend a year in JUCO instead as he learned to speak English and learned to play defensive line instead of linebacker, since he put on about 50 pounds in the last couple of years. He brings extreme size and athletic potential, but it’s paired with an extremely limited experience in playing football. He might be a long shot, but if he works out, he could be amazing.
#90 London Simmons (Fr) 6’3” 303
Simmons was something of a forgotten prospect and the only true high school addition to the defensive line.
- Bandit – LT Overton, Jordan Renaud/Keon Keeley
- Nose Tackle – Tim Keenan III, Jeremiah Beaman, Isaia Faga
- Defensive Tackle – James Smith, Edric Hill, Kelby Collins
There doesn’t seem to be too much controversy going on in this group. Likely the biggest battle is the backup Bandit spot. Jordan Renaud seemed to be on the path to be that guy last year, but Keon Keeley’s potential and continued growth will be hard to ignore.
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