Former QB AJ McCarron Sounds Off on Concerning Truth About Alabama Football

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 3:15 PM ET

Just a week ago, the mood in Tuscaloosa was sky-high as the Alabama Crimson Tide prepared to open the season ranked No. 8 in the nation.

But after a sluggish 31–17 loss to Florida State in Week 1, that optimism has quickly shifted to panic.

The Tide have now slipped to No. 21 in the rankings and under head coach Kalen DeBoer — who is only in his second year — they’ve already suffered four losses to unranked opponents.

In today’s rapidly evolving college football landscape, dominated by recruiting battles, the transfer portal, and NIL, former Alabama star quarterback and three-time national champion AJ McCarron believes the Tide’s struggles go deeper than coaching.

According to McCarron, Alabama’s current NIL pool sits at under $20 million — a hefty sum on its own, but well behind powerhouse programs operating with budgets in the $40–50 million range.

"Another thing that hurts Alabama right now is you look at these other teams that have $40-50 million in NIL," AJ McCarron said Monday on the McCready and Siskey podcast. "Alabama -- and I know this for a fact talking to multiple people inside the program -- Alabama has got less than $20 million in their NIL."

AJ McCarron on @McCreadySiskey: "You look at these other teams that have $40-50 million in NIL. Alabama -- and I know this for a fact, talking to multiple people in the program -- Alabama has less than $20 million in their NIL."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) September 2, 2025

“You know what helps Alabama from a recruiting standpoint? It’s the fact that Alabama has been Alabama," McCarron added. "Guys go there because they know they’ll compete for national championships year in and year out — and if they handle their business, they’ll most likely end up in the NFL.

“But if you start losing, all of that goes away. And when you can’t match what other schools are paying players, it hurts you even more. I don’t care who the coach is — whether it’s Coach Saban, Coach DeBoer, it doesn’t matter.”

There are plenty of problems in college football right now, particularly on the financial and business side of the sport — the very issues AJ McCarron has pointed out. But few expected those challenges to hit Tuscaloosa, home to a program that has defined dominance for decades.

Yet, the Crimson Tide no longer seem to be the team that strikes fear into opponents. When other programs believe they can go toe-to-toe with Alabama every week, the results look a lot like what happened in Week 1 against Florida State, when the Tide were simply pushed around from start to finish.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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