Last Call | Alabama Football Has a Problem: QB Battle, O-Line Losses & DeBoer Under Fire

The Next Round

Football, News, Basketball, Sports, Sports News

4.9 • 890 Ratings

🗓️ 30 January 2026

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Alabama Football enters a pivotal offseason as Kalen DeBoer begins shaping the next era in Tuscaloosa — and the stakes couldn’t be higher. In this episode, the hosts break down why it’s a positive sign that neither Alabama quarterback transferred, despite heavy portal movement elsewhere. DeBoer publicly called it a win, but the panel isn’t convinced everything is perfect — especially up front, where Alabama may have lost too many offensive linemen to the transfer portal. The conversation centers on the QB competition between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell. Mack is viewed as a talented but still hard-to-evaluate option, while Russell’s arm talent stands out immediately, with the hosts saying his ball comes off “like dynamite.” Ultimately, they agree the job will come down to mental processing, command of the offense, and comfort in DeBoer’s system. The show also dives into Alabama’s offensive line coaching change, explaining why the previous staff was replaced after multiple underwhelming seasons. New O-line coach Adrian Klemm arrives with a strong résumé as a run game coordinator and a track record of elevating line play — something the hosts agree Alabama desperately needed. From there, the discussion shifts to the NFL, where the panel calls it “embarrassing” that Bill Belichick was not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, especially given Clem’s ties to Belichick and his coaching tree. The episode wraps with a pair of powerful Alabama stories: Jake Coker recounts running into former coach Dameyune Craig at the Senior Bowl and reflects on how Craig fought to get him scholarship opportunities at both Florida State and Alabama. A tribute to Eddie Conyers, who passed away at 97 after serving as a referee at Alabama practices for nearly 60 years, including a classic Nick Saban story involving a flag Conyers had to pick back up after getting chewed out. From quarterback intrigue to coaching changes and Crimson Tide history, this is a must-watch conversation for any Alabama Football fan. SUBSCRIBE: @NextRoundLive - / @nextroundlive FOLLOW TNR ON RUMBLE: https://rumble.com/c/c-7759604 FOLLOW TNR ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7zlofzLZht7dYxjNcBNpWN FOLLOW TNR ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-round/id1797862560 WEBSITE: https://nextroundlive.com/ MOBILE APP: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-next-round/id1580807480 SHOP THE NEXT ROUND STORE: https://nextround.store/ Like TNR on Facebook: / nextroundlive Follow TNR on Twitter: / nextroundlive Follow TNR on Instagram: / nextroundlive Follow everyone from the show on Twitter: Jim Dunaway: / jimdunaway Ryan Brown: / ryanbrownlive Lance Taylor: / thelancetaylor Scott Forester: / scottforestertv Tyler Johns: /TylerJohnsTNR Sponsor the show: sales@nextroundlive.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What you say, everybody, welcome to the last call.
0:02.5	We're brought to you by Pearl River Resort.
0:04.5	Great time for you to get on vacation over there, do a little vacation.
0:10.0	Hour and a half from Tuscaloosa, two and a change from Birmingham.
0:13.2	You're talking about great golf courses, the azaleas, the oaks, which is part of Dancing Rabbit Golf Club.
0:19.7	Philip M. Steakhouse, the
0:21.7	timeout sports lounge, all those things.
0:25.0	You got the best slots this side of the Mississippi.
0:29.1	So take advantage of him.
0:30.3	There's Jake Coker.
0:31.3	I'm Nicholas, but let's start this show.
0:36.8	Music All right. I'm coming at you from Cudjo Key down here in the Keys.
0:51.5	Not to make you jealous, but you guys must be special because I'm working on
0:54.7	my vacation. There's Jake Coco. What's up? How's life? Is it cold up in L.A.?
1:01.8	Yeah, supposed to be, I think it's supposed to be 17 degrees tomorrow. 17. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
1:09.9	That's 68 and I was not happy about it. I'm trying to, uh, yeah, I'm fired up. I'm ready to, ready to go deer hunting. I got one on camera. I've been watching a bunch, so can't get up there fast enough. Hmm. That sounds like fun. That sounds like a lot of fun. People would love to hear that on the Jake Coker hunting show.
1:29.5	Thanks. That sounds like fun. That sounds like a lot of fun. People would love to hear that on the Jake Coker hunting show.
1:34.3	Oh, my goodness. That is it.
1:35.0	You're going to have to get your wife and kids out there if you shoot him to get another picture.
1:38.9	Oh, yeah.
1:39.9	Oh, yeah.
1:41.2	He's been talking about me.
	...

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