Kane Wommack feels like Alabama defense is 'in a pretty good place' after spring

Alabama’s spring football season ended last month, and its coaching staff did not have to worry about a spring transfer portal window. There is only one of those now, and it is open for only 15 days in January. Having only one portal window makes life easier on collegiate coaches.

Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kane Wommack is among them, and as he enters Year 3 as Alabama’s play-caller on defense, he likes where his 2026 defense sits after the spring.

“This is obviously a different time and phase than what it was a year ago,” said Wommack at the Senior Bowl Charities Celebrity Golf Classic, via AL.com’s Creg Stephenson. “(Last year), there were so many variables coming out of spring football, trying to retain your roster, trying to add pieces that you needed. We’re really in a pretty good place as a defense.

“And so, to just have the comfort in knowing that you’re going to be able to develop these players and retain all these players coming out of spring is great. And so, now our attention gets to really focus in on some of this high school class and get the best young high school players in the country, which has always been the recipe for success.”

Alabama has to replace seven starters from last year’s defense, including all three defensive linemen and both inside linebackers. The Tide fielded one of the SEC’s top defenses in 2025, as UA led the conference in passing defense and finished third in total defense. The secondary is back and could be one of the country’s best, but an emphasis was placed on the front.

The Tide brought in several impact transfers, like defensive linemen Devan Thompkins and Terrance Green and linebacker Caleb Woodson, who could be on the field for the first snap of the 2026 campaign. Alabama added 10 new defensive linemen to its roster this offseason.

Wommack has said he wants to see the Crimson Tide be more dominant up front this fall, and after 15 spring practices, he seems to like where his unit stands entering the summer months.

“It’s just nice when you go into Year 3, there’s a lot of continuity,” Wommack said. “We’ve got a lot of returning starters on our back end, a lot of young guys that are pushing some of those guys, as well, which is really great. And we’ve kind of gotten the defensive line in a position to where we’ve got more mass. There’s some older guys.

“The transfer portal’s been really good to us, so having some of those guys in, coupled with our back end, I think there’s a lot of continuity. There’s a lot of excitement within the group and confidence in each other. And so, it’s fun to kind of go through spring with that group of guys that know the expectations and kind of set the tone early and often.”

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