This Alabama position highlights the roster turnover in college football more than any other

The landscape of college football rosters is shifting at a breakneck pace. While it may not yet mirror the total-rebuild nature of men’s college basketball, the reality for football coaches today is that massive offseason turnover is now the standard.

Managing the Modern Roster

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, speaking at the SEC spring meetings in Miramar Beach, Florida, acknowledged that navigating this constant state of flux is a unique challenge. 205focus.com readers know that while the 2024 coaching transition brought initial volatility, the transfer portal has ensured that the cycle of change remains a constant fixture of the sport.

"There’s going to be new things that come up because of the turnover that we didn’t have last year," Kalen DeBoer said. "There’s going to be an area that might not be as much of a strength because of new personnel and just the time to get together. I think we have a lot of those pieces in place."

The Offensive Line Reset

Nowhere is this turnover more evident than on the Crimson Tide’s offensive line. DeBoer pointed to the position group as the prime example of a unit undergoing a total overhaul.

"We have so much turnover there," DeBoer said. "A lot of these guys weren’t even a part of last year. Michael Carroll is really our only starter. Will Sanders was around and played a lot of valuable snaps for us. There’s a lot of guys who really weren’t a part of it."

The numbers illustrate the scale of the transition. Although Jackson Lloyd returns at left tackle, he did not start a game last season. Of the seven players who started at various points in 2025, six have moved on—some to the NFL, like draft picks Parker Brailsford and Kadyn Proctor, and others through the transfer portal, including Wilkin Formby. The reserves have seen a similar exodus.

To fill the gaps, Alabama has tapped the portal for a fresh wave of talent, adding center Racin Delgatty, guard Ethan Fields, tackles Jayvin James and Nick Brooks, and Kaden Strayhorn, who can play both center and guard.

With the offensive line looking to move past the struggles of 2025, this injection of new personnel could provide a necessary spark. Ultimately, as DeBoer noted, the priority is clear: "It’s really about this group coming together, and it’s a whole different group."