The problem with modern scheduling, in the day and age of transfer portal meanderings, is that it’s hard to find a team good enough to give the favorite a decent contest, without also being a threat to pull an upset.
East Carolina is a problem from all sides: The Pirates went 9-4 in 2025 and defeated Pitt in a bowl game. They are a veteran team, but not one with a lot of starting experience. And they added dozens of new players through the transfer portal in the offseason.
Alabama is getting ready to embark on what Crimson Tide fans hope is another potential championship season. But in doing so, Alabama is also breaking in a freshman quarterback, rebuilding an ineffective offensive line and running back corps, and staging a reckoning of sorts on the future of its offensive coordinator. The struggles of the 2025 season can’t be repeated if Alabama is to have any kind of success.
With that, we kick off our 2026 game previews with a look at one of Alabama’s most mysterious opponents this season.
Discuss on the TideFans.com Football Board
OFFENSE
It will be interesting to see how ECU’s offense may or may not change with the addition of Jordan Davis as offensive coordinator. Davis arrives from North Texas, which led the nation in total offense last year and showed decent balance even though being primarily a passing team. East Carolina’s results mirrored what Davis got at North Texas, just with slightly lower output across the board. The base set is a three-receiver look with a tight end and single back, a passing spread which is now more or less the default offense in college football. There will be tempo, there will be multiple receivers flooding the pattern and Alabama may have to do some serious score-matching in this one. For the Crimson Tide, expect its pass-first philosophy to continue, but a great emphasis has been put on getting the running game going and if Alabama can shorten this game, it will probably be in the Tide’s best interest to do so.
QUARTERBACKS
Both teams are breaking in new signal-callers, although there is more experience on ECU’s side. The Pirates will likely play both Mitch Griffis, a senior backup from Texas Tech who threw 36 passes last year for the Red Raiders, and Emory Williams, who was Carson Beck’s backup last year in Miami. While neither Williams nor Griffis logged a ton of throws, they are both upperclassmen coming to the Pirates from larger, well-funded programs. While neither guy is considered a pure dual-threat player – Williams probably has an edge over Griffis in that regard – they are both good athletes that can get outside the pocket and make it work. Alabama will start redshirt freshman Keelon Russell, who won the job in fall camp over junior Austin Mack. Both Russell and Mack will likely play in this game, but the goal here for Alabama is to develop Russell into a top-tier SEC quarterback sooner rather than later, which means he’s going to get the lion’s share of the work unless he completely flames out. Russell is a true dual-threat talent and one of the top quarterback prospects anywhere in the country heading into 2026. His skillset is enough to give Alabama the edge here even with the experience factor tilting toward ECU. Advantage: Alabama
RUNNING BACKS
Who gets the call here largely depends on what you think about Alabama’s attempts to rekindle the running game. There’s also the issue of a missing A.K. Dear, the back who was poised to grab the job in fall camp until suffering a leg injury; he’s now out of commission for a month. We are expecting a true four-back rotation for Alabama until someone claims the job outright, whether that’s one of two holdovers (scatback Kevin Riley or power back Daniel Hill) or one of two true freshmen, Ezavier Crowell or Trae’shawn Brown. Brown looked the best of the bunch in spring practice and has continued with a strong fall camp, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take the job outright.
For East Carolina, T.J. Engleman was the team’s third back in 2025, averaging 5.2 yards per carry on 59 totes, but scoring just 1 touchdown. North Texas transfer Ashton Gray, who had slightly better productivity as North Texas’ third running back, transferred in with his former UNT offensive coordinator and won the job here. Gray is to Engleman as Daniel Hill is to Kevin Riley for Alabama in terms of size and the kind of approach he brings to the position. As far as raw talent goes, there’s no question here that Alabama has more of it. But until we see the actual production on the field, we have to go with the numbers. Advantage: East Carolina
WIDE RECEIVERS
This one gets to be a hard call because East Carolina already had good depth here, then added to it. The Pirates have all the roles covered; Jeremiah Melvin and Dawson Quarterman both bring height to the outside receiver positions, while Tyler Johnson and Dillon Lorick are physical “middle” receivers and Brock Spalding and Ray Ray Joseph bring quickness to the slot position.
Spalding is the most productive of the returning players and Joseph brings a nice prep resume from his days prior to joining the Miami program. Melvin, a Wake Forest transfer, is likely to end the year as the go-to guy in this unit.
Alabama will start Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks at two of its three starting positions; the question will be whether Rico Scott, Derek Meadows or freshman Cederian Morgan gets the third starting position. Noah Rogers was expected to be replacement for Isaiah Horton and/or Germie Bernard, but an injury suffered at A-Day will keep him out for the season’s first month.
As for backups, if Scott starts and Meadows and Morgan come off the bench as expected, Alabama will still need at least one more from a group that includes late JUCO signee Tyler Henderson, former walk-on M.J. Chirgwin, or one of three red-chip true freshmen slot receivers (Amari Sabb, Maurice Mathis Jr., Aubrey Walker). In addition to Coleman-Williams being the hands-down best player on either team here, Alabama has a clear edge at tight end.
East Carolina will be represented by Ismael Smith Flores, who transferred from the University of Texas Rio Grand Valley (abbreviated everywhere on the East Carolina roster as “UTRGV,” defying the laws of pronunciation), after opening his career at Nebraska as a defensive end. Alabama will start Josh Ford at one of the spots and has an impressive collection of veterans available at H-back and reserve inline-Y – Danny Lewis Jr., Kaleb Edwards, Jay Lindsey and Marshall Pritchett, along with freshman Mack Sutter.
Both teams have quality players, but Alabama has a better situation across the board. Advantage: Alabama
OFFENSIVE LINE
This would again be a case of potential vs. “show-me” if it wasn’t for the fact that East Carolina doesn’t quite know yet what it has, anymore than Alabama does. The left side of the Pirate line will be returning players who played reserve roles last year, LT Marleo Neolien and LG Bryce Weaver. Weaver is probably the best player on the line.
The other three are transfers: center Brandon Best (Kennesaw State), RG Ethan Kramer (FCS Northern Arizona) and RT Hayes Creel (Southern Miss). It looks like a line that should be solid against other AAC competition, but the question is how will the unit perform against SEC talent.
Alabama has its own questions to answer. The guards are both key players returning from the 2025 team, RG Michael Carroll and LG Will Sanders; Carroll has the makings of a future star, and Sanders brings a certain aggressiveness to the position after being a multi-position reserve last season.
The new starters are LT Jackson Lloyd, who has impressed during both spring and fall camps; and two transfers, RT Jayvin James (Mississippi State) and center Racin Delgatty (FCS Cal Poly). At least two other players, Mal Waldrep (left guard) and Nick Brooks (right tackle) are expected to get long auditions. We could go either way on this but we will opt this time for potential over production, given the expectations coming out of fall camp. It’s close. Advantage: Alabama
Discuss on the TideFans.com Football Board
DEFENSE
East Carolina employs a 3-3-5 base defense, perhaps owing a bit to the difficulties of staffing a four-down line at the AAC level. Defensive coordinator Jordon Hankins is new, coming to ECU from Memphis, where the Tigers had a decent defense under his tenure albeit not a spectacular one. Hankins’ specialty for Memphis mirrors what East Carolina was doing before him, which is stopping the run. Overall the Pirates are probably going to be similar to 2025 on this side of the ball, when there was a priority placed on aggressive play, ballhawking and trying to create mistakes rather than sitting back. Alabama again brings its 4-2-5 Swarm defense to the matchup, coming off a solid season against the pass and looking to improve against the run by adding size up front.
DEFENSIVE LINE
East Carolina has two true big bodies up front, Rion Roseborough and Preston Carr, both of whom tilt the scales at more than 310 pounds. Both are holdovers from a year ago, but were not starters then. The team’s best defender regardless of position is likely Jasiyah Robinson, who posted 5 sacks in 2025 and is about halfway in size between Alabama’s two edge players. Bench depth, though, drops off quickly in terms of size, as only Edric Hill for Alabama is as small as the Pirates’ reserves.
In general, East Carolina did well creating pressure up front in 2025, ranking 23rd in sacks and 4th in tackles for loss. Rushing defense, however, was just 45th, and that was arguably the team’s stronger of the two base (run/pass) units. ECU was 10th in turnover margin and 14th nationally in turnovers created, and 2nd in fumbles recovered. The line will take changes and shoot gaps, but overall may struggle against Alabama’s bigger offensive linemen.
Alabama will start Terrance Green and London Simmons at the tackle spots; Green, an Oregon transfer, lit up spring and fall camp and allows Alabama to add athleticism without losing the size lost when Tim Keenan exhausted his eligibility. With yet another season-ending injury to Jeremiah Beaman, Alabama will rely heavily on Mississippi State transfer Kedrick Bingley-Jones to be the “big” backup inside, while Edric Hill and Isaia Faga bring less size but more quickness.
All eyes are on Steve Mboumoua, who now must step up with Beaman out. If he can master the technique, he has as much natural talent as any defensive lineman, anywhere, but is still very raw after getting a late start to football. Freshman Mhari Johnson and Nebraska transfer Leslie Black are other possibilities. At Bandit end, Alabama will start USC transfer Devan Thompkins. Thompkins is viewed as a straight-up replacement for, if not an improvement over, L.T. Overton of a year ago.
Time will tell how Alabama will back up the Bandit spot; South Carolina transfer Desmond Umeozulu has worked there and at Wolf linebacker, and Jah-Marien Latham and Fatutoa Henry are also possibilities, as is Washington transfer Caleb Smith. Look for Alabama to be more multiple in its fronts in 2026. Advantage: Alabama
LINEBACKERS
The Pirates go toe-to-toe with Alabama in terms of experience, but the Crimson Tide has a significant size advantage. All three Pirate starters are in the 6’1”, 220-pound range, with Memphis transfer Crews Law at weakside linebacker and Julien Davis, a longtime backup, the starter on the strongside. In the middle is D.J. Johnson, a returning starter who plays bigger and faster than his listed measurables. Kendrick DuJour is pushing Davis at SLB and would give the Pirates a taller player (6’5”) there, but there are questions as to how fast this is all going to come together.
Alabama will start Yhonzae Pierre, a potential first-round NFL Draft pick next April, at the Wolf linebacker spot, and Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson at one of the inside positions, most likely weakside. Luke Metz has apparently claimed the middle linebacker spot. He was sparsely used as a true freshman in 2025, but had a strong spring and then reportedly a breakthrough fall camp.
Others competing at that spot include Cayden Jones, Q.B. Reese, Abduall Sanders and Duke Johnson. There is also Xavier Griffin, who could be utilized as a situational pass rusher until he gets a better feel for the college game. He was used that way in the spring, to great effect. Justin Hill will back up Pierre outside, with Jah-Marien Latham and Desmond Umeozulu possibilities there as well. Freshman Jamarion Matthews had a solid spring and could work his way into the back side of the rotation at OLB. Advantage: Alabama
DEFENSIVE BACKS
This may be the only unit on the board that is truly a mismatch. Alabama’s secondary is one of the best in the nation, while East Carolina needs improvement after finishing 91st in raw pass defense, 47th in pass efficiency defense, and then having to replace all five starters.
Of the 10 players in the ECU two-deep, 6 are 2026 transfers. The new corners for ECU are Ashton Levells-Mitchell and Jaylen Bowden, both transfer imports (Levells-Mitchell from Florida International; Bowden from Minnesota). Appalachian State transfer Zyeir Gamble will start at one of the safety spots, with returning 2025 reserves DeMarius Hines (safety) and Kevon Merrell (nickel) the other two starters. Bowden is being pushed by another ECU veteran, Angelo Ross. Overall, the height levels are good here, especially on the corners.
While East Carolina will likely get the pieces together eventually, Alabama’s secondary returns largely intact. Zabien Brown may be the best corner in the country, and Dijon Lee Jr. had a fine freshman campaign splitting time with Domani Jackson, who is now gone. Bray Hubbard is a preseason all-American at safety, while Keon Sabb gives Alabama another veteran up the middle. The lone new starter, Rydarrius Morgan at nickel, has plenty of experience there as a backup the last two years. Ivan Taylor, Carmelo O’Neal, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. and Zavier Mincey are the names to watch as reserve safeties, while Chuck McDonald and Nick Sherman should get most of the reserve snaps at corner. O’Neal can also play there if needed. Advantage: Alabama
SPECIAL TEAMS
Conor Talty was a surprise winner of the placekicking job in fall camp, holding on to his job even in the face of stiff competition from Marshall transfer Lorcan Quinn. At punter, redshirt freshman Alex Asparuhov held off North Alabama transfer Adam Watford in another mild surprise. Asparuhov, who will also be the holder, was highly-touted as a recruit two years ago before suffering a serious leg injury prior to coming to campus; it was expected that he would eventually return to form, albeit not this quickly. East Carolina’s Andrew Conrad has a similar story to Talty: He was the Pirates’ kicker in 2023 and 2024, putting up decent numbers, before being unseated by Nick Mazzie last year. Conrad returns to his duties, while Tomas O’Halloran will handle punting duties. In all, East Carolina was pretty bad on special teams in 2025 outside of Mazzie’s placekicking itself. The Pirates ranked in the 100s in punt return defense, net punting, kickoff returns and punt returns. Kickoff return defense led the unit statistically, coming in 76th. We expect those numbers to improve, but Alabama is starting from a better place. Advantage: Alabama
OVERALL
Alabama leads in seven categories, East Carolina in one. But the offensive line, wide receiver and linebacker groups could potentially shift, and Alabama enjoys no large leads outside of defensive back and possibly defensive line. In the OL-DL cross-matchup comparisons, Alabama’s defensive line enjoys a strong advantage over the East Carolina offensive line, while the ECU defensive line probably holds a modest-at-best advantage over the Alabama offensive line, and it may prove to be overall just a push.
The real question for East Carolina is how quickly everything is going to come together. Veteran teams – think Indiana in 2025, the most prominent example – tend to outperform young teams, especially in the current meta. But coming together as a team takes time, and East Carolina has more new pieces in critical spots than does the Tide.
Of the 22 starting offensive and defensive positions, 21 of East Carolina’s presumed starters are upperclassmen. Of the 44 members of its primary two-deep, all but five of are veterans. This is a level of experience not often seen under any circumstance.
However, East Carolina took a bit of time to get rolling in 2025; after six games, the Pirates were just 3-3, with the team’s best win probably being over Army. But the Pirates got rolling after that, finishing 6-1 down the stretch to include wins over Memphis and, in the bowl game, Pitt.
Alabama will have its own growing pains, most specifically with Russell at quarterback and an offensive line and running back groups needing to prove their value. The real question for Alabama is how strong the defense will prove to be against a team that most expect to be potent offensively, by any measure.
Expect typical first-week goofs, but Alabama appears to have just too many weapons in too many places against which East Carolina could expect to mount an upset.
Alabama 39
East Carolina 22
Discuss on the TideFans.com Football Board
Follow Jess Nicholas on X at @TideFansJessN