Joel Klatt says only one thing will make Alabama football 2025 season a 'success'
While fans and critics alike gradually got used to Nick Saban not being on the Alabama football sideline after 17 unprecedented seasons of success, coach Kalen DeBoer still has some skeptics entering 2025.
Alabama finished 9-4 in DeBoer's first season and despite an ugly late-season loss at Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide appeared set to make the College Football Playoff -- even with three losses.
The Clemson Tigers and Dabo Swinney, a former Alabama player turned formidable thorn in the side, then stole the Crimson Tide's projected at-large spot by becoming the first "bid thief" of the expanded 12-team playoff. In doing so, Alabama wound up in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) and lost to a Michigan Wolverines team that was a shell of its 2023 national championship self in Tampa.
What would make for a successful second season for DeBoer in Tuscaloosa? Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt weighed in with his thoughts on the Thursday edition of his popular program: "The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast."
For Klatt, the answer comes down to only one thing: Alabama must reach the 2025 College Football Playoff in order for the season to be considered any kind of success.
"They've never missed the playoff two years in a row, and Kalen DeBoer does not want that on his record in just his second season as the head coach at Alabama. This team has to go to the College Football Playoff -- like, that is the bare minimum. I really think they probably need to win a game in the College Football Playoff, but they absolutely have to go to the College Football Playoff." --Joel Klatt, Fox Sports
The good news, for Klatt at least, is that he believes Alabama will return to the playoff in 2025 and that offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will be a big reason why.
Klatt views Grubb as a tremendous asset for the Crimson Tide and for DeBoer after the longtime duo reunited this offseason.
"Ryan Grubb being back for them as their offensive coordinator, I think, is huge. This is a program that is used to being the pinnacle of the sport. We've never, ever seen what Nick Saban was able to do. He was the best coach in the history of this sport. They had a sustained level of success that we're never going to see again, winning national championships over cycles of recruits. But they're right on the back of that." --Joel Klatt
Klatt continues to be high on DeBoer as a coach and views him as "the right hire" for where Alabama stands in the post-Saban landscape.
"We all think (DeBoer) is a very good coach and the right hire for them, but he has to prove it. At least get back to the College Football Playoff," Klatt reiterated. "Again, I think that they probably need to win a (CFP) game, and we'll see if they're able to do that."
Where 'loaded' Alabama ranks in Joel Klatt's preseason Top 25 rankings
Monday saw the release of the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. Alabama was ranked No. 8, one spot below the Oregon Ducks and one spot ahead of the LSU Tigers.
It's the lowest the Crimson Tide have been ranked in the preseason since 2008, when Alabama debuted at No. 24 in the AP poll before going 12-0 in the regular season and falling to a star-studded Florida Gators team the Crimson Tide would soon overtake as the SEC's most dominant program.
Klatt unveiled his own Top 25 preseason rankings on Tuesday and had Alabama at No. 9, with LSU one spot ahead of the Crimson Tide.
In explaining his No. 9 ranking for Alabama, Klatt mentioned some of the points he reiterated on Thursday -- namely that he's high on both DeBoer and Grubb as a coaching tandem.
"DeBoer is an outstanding coach. He has won everywhere that he has been. He also has won everywhere that he has been in large part due to the fact that his offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, has been with him. He was not there last year, but he's coming back and they will be joined again." --Joel Klatt, Fox Sports
Klatt believes that Grubb in particular will help first-year starter Ty Simpson develop into a solid quarterback.
"I think it's going to help them out," Klatt said of Grubb. "I think it's going to help out Ty Simpson, who's slated to be their quarterback. We'll see how good he is. He's a former five-star who's been waiting three years for his chance to play."
Klatt says that Alabama's roster is "loaded" on both sides of the ball entering 2025.
"They're going to have stars all over the field," he said. "'Bama is loaded with talent, we all know that. Ryan Williams is one of the best players in the country. Germie Bernard is also one of the best players out there. I love Kadyn Proctor. He was a top 10 player for me. I love their center, Parker Brailsford. These guys can play.
"On defense, LT Overton, Tim Keenan, Deontae Lawson. This is a defense that was top 10 in the country for Kane Wommack, their defensive coordinator a year ago. They should be fine."
Alabama football schedule 2025
Alabama will open the season against Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Aug. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC.
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But let's also be honest here, after getting over that hump last year and having to replace 14 NFL Draft picks, the bar can be lowered just a little bit. I don't know if the Buckeyes have to make the national championship game this year. Now, Day would disagree with me and say that he still expects to win every game. But if Ohio State reaches the final four or plays for a Big Ten title, it would show that it's not going anywhere after last season. If it can do that, and Julian Sayin potentially develops at quarterback, Ohio State would be building toward plenty of positive momentum going into 2026, when it will still have Jeremiah Smith. Oh, and Ohio State has to beat Michigan. You can't take another loss to the Team Up North. I've watched last year's game back plenty of times and I'm still in disbelief. We no longer have to ask if Texas is back. The Longhorns are back and I think they're the best team in the SEC. 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He has a young quarterback in Bryce Underwood to build around, which is promising. If Michigan is 9-3 or 10-2 at the end of the regular season, that would be a good sign and last year will be quickly forgotten. Ohio State: Reach College Football Playoff semis, beat Michigan It's very simple, and I've talked about this with Ryan Day a lot: You need to win every game if you're a part of the Ohio State program. But let's also be honest here, after getting over that hump last year and having to replace 14 NFL Draft picks, the bar can be lowered just a little bit. I don't know if the Buckeyes have to make the national championship game this year. Now, Day would disagree with me and say that he still expects to win every game. But if Ohio State reaches the final four or plays for a Big Ten title, it would show that it's not going anywhere after last season. If it can do that, and Julian Sayin potentially develops at quarterback, Ohio State would be building toward plenty of positive momentum going into 2026, when it will still have Jeremiah Smith. Oh, and Ohio State has to beat Michigan. You can't take another loss to the Team Up North. I've watched last year's game back plenty of times and I'm still in disbelief. Texas: Play in national championship game We no longer have to ask if Texas is back. The Longhorns are back and I think they're the best team in the SEC. It's great for them that they've made the semis in back-to-back years, but that means they can't lose in a round earlier than that or even lose in the semis for a third straight year. They have to go play for the title. When Arch Manning committed to Texas, the goal and expectation were to eventually win a title. Manning is just one of the many reasons, though, why I'm bullish on Texas entering the year. Texas has an incredible defense, with stars at all three levels. 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If Notre Dame is going to outperform LSU, though, is the ceiling LSU or is it Brian Kelly? Georgia: Reach College Football Playoff semis Georgia's an interesting one, isn't it? After winning back-to-back titles, a lot of us think that Georgia is clearly one of the four best teams in college football. I'm not sure if that's still true. I didn't have the Bulldogs in the top four of my preseason top 25. Here's an interesting thought exercise: What if Georgia loses in the SEC Championship Game and falls in the quarterfinals of the CFP in 2025? That would mark the third straight year that it didn't reach the CFP semis, which would mean that there would be a cycle of elite recruits who played through their minimum eligibility in college football without seeing Georgia play in the final four. Georgia feels like it's at the top of the upper echelon of teams in the country. In order to feel valid in that belief, you have to make it to the CFP semis at least once in a three-year span. If you do that, then you can win the national championship. Those are spots reserved for elite programs. This is a big year for Kirby Smart. He's trying to replace a veteran quarterback and other spots on the roster, but the schedule is favorable for Georgia. Penn State: Play in national championship game In a lot of ways, last season was a breakout year for James Franklin's program. Yet, it still failed to do the things we want to see Penn State do. We want to see this team win a matchup game, where it beats a team that has similar or superior talent. Penn State has majored in beating the teams it's supposed to beat. Now, it's time to get over the hump. Penn State played in the semis last year. This year, it needs to reach the national championship game. Whether Penn State wins that game or not is obviously anyone's guess, but it needs to beat a blue blood or win a matchup game in order to get there. Penn State will have chances to do that in the regular season, and possibly the Big Ten Championship Game. Even then, though, there's a scenario where Penn State beats Oregon at home early in the year before losing at Ohio State later on that could cause people to still doubt it. The Nittany Lions have all of those returning guys, like Drew Allar and Nicholas Singleton, as well. They really should get to the national championship game. USC: Win nine games I think most people would say USC has been a disappointment since Lincoln Riley got there in 2022. The Trojans got worse record-wise each season and they lost a lot in the portal this offseason. However, there's a lot of optimism around that program. I'm buying a little bit of it. I had a small conversation with Lincoln Riley recently and he said his team is going to be good. Take that for what it's worth, obviously, but it had a bunch of close losses last year and it's building momentum toward 2026 with the No. 1 recruiting class (via 247 Sports) for next year. So, Riley might not need to have a tremendous season for us to think USC is trending in the right direction. Still, USC needs to take a step forward. If you gave me USC winning nine games in 2025, I would be buying its stock moving forward, all things considered. And maybe if USC reaches nine wins, it's playing in a game with CFP implications. Oregon: Reach CFP semis Oregon is starting to feel like a perennial power in the sport. But to really be a perennial power, it needs to make the final four. That means taking a step forward from last year, regardless of whether it gets a bye in the CFP. It feels like this is where Oregon belongs. Dan Lanning is an elite coach and it feels like the Ducks are a program that's going to recruit the players that put them in this position. We want to see progress, though. Miami (Fla.): Reach College Football Playoff I think people would say the Hurricanes had a successful year last year until the very end. That Syracuse game had to feel like a kick in the teeth after their 9-0 start. Miami lost Cam Ward, but it had an impressive offseason. The Hurricanes brought in Carson Beck, built a good offensive line and hired a defensive coordinator I really like. So, Miami has to go to the CFP. Mario Cristobal has put Miami in the conversation for almost every elite recruit in the country. However, many of those recruits pick other places because those places have proven they can go further than Miami. The Hurricanes have never made the CFP and that needs to change. Miami also plays in a relatively weak ACC. It should get to 10 or 11 wins because of that. If it doesn't get there, then you have to call into question if it's going to work with Cristobal. Eventually, he has to build some sort of track record. Texas Tech: Be in the College Football Playoff mix We don't usually talk about Texas Tech, but Joey McGuire has a fascinating season in front of him. The Red Raiders infused a ton of talent onto this roster with a lot of cash over the offseason, getting the second-best transfer portal class in the nation (per 247 Sports). Behren Morton returns at quarterback for Texas Tech, and it's in a conference where if you improve just a little bit, you'll take a substantial step forward. That's what happened with Colorado last season, going from four to nine wins. Texas Tech can do something similar if it can just get a little better defensively. If it can, it'll probably be in the mix to win the Big 12 title, thus putting it in the mix for the CFP. When you consider how many resources have been put into the program and how wide open the Big 12 is, Texas Tech needs to be in the CFP mix. If you can't be in the mix this year, then when is it going to happen? I think Texas Tech can be in that mix, though. Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast " The Joel Klatt Show. " Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. share
