ESPN's Rece Davis drops a quote about Alabama football that will come back to haunt him this season if he's wrong

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 1:30 PM ET

ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis didn't hold back this past week when sharing his opinion about the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2025.

Davis, who graduated from Alabama, thinks the Crimson Tide are going to be good this fall. Really, really good.

So good, in fact, that he thinks Alabama might win the national championship in Kalen DeBoer's second season in Tuscaloosa.

"We will also learn that Alabama is really, really good. Really, really good," said Davis on the College GameDay Podcast when asked what he expects to learn in Alabama's season-opener against Florida State.

Davis did offer the caveat that Alabama will need "good quarterback play" to truly contend for a national championship.

"If they get good quarterback play," continued Davis. "And I don't just mean adequate [quarterback play]. They'll need good quarterback play. If they get good quarterback play, presumably from Ty Simpson -- or whether it's eventually Austin Mack or Keelon Russell, the freshman -- if they get good, high level quarterback play, they might win the national championship. If they don't, it's probably a season like last year -- three or four losses."

2025 is a pivotal season for DeBoer at Alabama. After going 9-4 in year one, the pressure is on for DeBoer to deliver in a big way this fall (9-4 is a pretty good season for a first-year SEC coach, but expectations are understandably high at Alabama).

Davis seems really, really confident that Alabama is going to be really, really good. If the Crimson Tide fall flat in 2025, that's a quote that will come back to haunt the longtime ESPN broadcaster.

Though it's certainly worth noting that Davis left himself an out by mentioning that Alabama needs good quarterback play to reach their potential this season. (But isn't that true for nearly every contender?)

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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