Where CBS Sports has Alabama football in post-spring top 25 rankings

Yahoo Sports2h ago20 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Alabama football is ranked No. 14 in CBS Sports' post-spring top 25 rankings, one spot below Ole Miss and one above Michigan. The ranking reflects concerns about the quarterback position and recent transfer decisions.

Key points

Alabama football is ranked No. 14 in CBS Sports' top 25.
The ranking is one spot below Ole Miss and one above Michigan.
Concerns exist about the quarterback position and transfer decisions.
Brandon Marcello is the analyst for the rankings.

Mentioned in this story

Brandon MarcelloHollywood Smothers

Alabama Crimson TideOle Miss RebelsMichigan WolverinesTexas

Alabama football wrapped up spring practice earlier this month with its annual A-Day event at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and on Wednesday another national outlet decided where the Crimson Tide stand among both SEC peers and national programs alike heading into the summer.

In CBS Sports' new post-spring top 25 rankings, Alabama is ranked No. 14. The Crimson Tide are one spot below the Ole Miss Rebels and one spot ahead of the Michigan Wolverines.

Alabama moved up one spot in veteran college football analyst Brandon Marcello's top 25, the first batch of rankings released by CBS Sports since its initial way-too-early list the day after the College Football Playoff national championship in January.

Marcello said of the Tide's modest top-15 ranking:

"Alabama is positioned to outperform the top 25's expectations, but offseason developments have reduced confidence in the Tide heading into Kalen DeBoer's third season. NC State running back Hollywood Smothers reneged on his transfer commitment, opting instead for Texas. The quarterback position is still up for grabs, though it appears Keelon Russell has the edge over Austin Mack. DeBoer is an elite coach, but it's still nearly impossible to match the standard still bleeding over from the Nick Saban era."

In the race to take over for Ty Simpson this fall, Russell's performance at A-day was impressive. The redshirt freshman from Duncanville, , completed 21 of 33 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns while throwing one interception. Austin Mack was 6-of-12 for 101 yards with one touchdown and one interception.