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The 2025 college football season got off to an inauspicious start for the Alabama Crimson Tide as they lost in shocking fashion to Florida State.
That prompted former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel to tell Pakinomist Digital that “nobody’s scared anymore” of the Crimson Tide. He wasn’t the only one, as the post-Nick Saban era under Kalen DeBoer didn’t seem to have the same fear factor, especially given their 9-4 record in 2024 with some surprising losses sprinkled in.
But Alabama has been a completely different team since their opener against the Seminoles, reeling off five straight wins with the last three coming against ranked opponents — Georgia, Vanderbilt, who they lost to last season, and Missouri.
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Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson passes during the game against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on October 11, 2025 in Columbia, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Damien Harris, the former Crimson Tide star running back and current college football analyst, was the perfect man for Pakinomist Digital to talk to about this Alabama resurgence — one he called “nothing short of amazing.”
“You talk about coming back from a loss to Vandy a year ago, coming back from a Week 1 loss on the road in a hostile environment,” he said while highlighting his partnership with Dr. Pepper. “They’ve done nothing but take responsibility. They’ve done nothing but raise what their standard is — I won’t even say try to get back to the Alabama standard. But have their own iteration of what the Alabama standard is. They’ve gotten better every single week.”
The fear for the Crimson Tide, now ranked No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll entering this crucial week against No. 11 Tennessee in Tuscaloosa, is sure to return, if it left at all.
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However, Harris explained why he used to love playing against teams that didn’t fear Alabama. And he believes this program thinks exactly the same.
“It makes me think of when I got to a certain age and I looked at my mom and told her I wasn’t afraid of her anymore,” he said, smiling. “You know what she told me? “You don’t have to be afraid of getting your ass ripped out of the frame.” Don’t be afraid. This craving is going to feel the same.
“[Vanderbilt quarterback] Diego Pavia, he wasn’t afraid going into Tuscaloosa because he beat Alabama before. It doesn’t matter, he didn’t come away with a win. Georgia, they weren’t afraid of Alabama playing at night in front of a blackout, they weren’t afraid. What does that mean? What does that have to do with anything? If you don’t fear Alabama anymore, if you don’t respect Alabama anymore, that’s totally fine. It’s okay. Why? Because that’s not what Alabama cares about.
“We don’t want people to be afraid of Alabama. We want people to go into Alabama thinking they’re going to win. But it doesn’t matter.”
Ryan Williams of the Alabama Crimson Tide rushes against the Georgia Bulldogs in the second quarter at Sanford Stadium on September 27, 2025 in Athens, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
That mindset seems to be what the Crimson Tide have displayed the last few weeks, especially since they’ve had to play two SEC road games, which are always tough. But they came away with wins in each, while getting some revenge on the Commodores on Oct. 4.
Harris has been impressed by Ty Simpson, the Crimson Tide quarterback who he believes should be the Heisman favorite early this season given his production. Simpson has amassed 1,689 yards through the air with 16 touchdowns to just one interception while also rushing for two scores.
“The most striking thing is that they do it without [star receiver] Ryan Williams. It’s all been on the shoulders of Ty Simpson and Kalen DeBoer,” Harris added. “They’ve taken this team, almost grabbed them by the collar, if you will, and said, ‘Listen, we’re better than this. Turn around, look in the mirror and assess how you played last year.’
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“Ty Simpson should be the Heisman favorite. This Alabama wide receiver group has proven itself to be the best wide receiver group in all of college football, again without Ryan Williams. You look at how dynamic this offense is going to be, how they’re two-fold with the addition of Jam Miller. This defense is playing better than we’ve given them credit for. They got Missouri to see No. 4 in the 4th country so they wanted you to look like the 4th country. about X’s and O’s, yes, they do it on the football field with a plan, with a game plan, with a formula where everyone does their job. But they also have the type of hunger that I know and understand.’
Perhaps the outside noise is fuel for this year’s Crimson Tide team, a group Harris said is hungry to get to the College Football Playoff and prove once again that they are worthy of winning the national championship.
Then again, this group appears so close-knit that outside critics, haters, doubters – they are all one and the same when the focus is purely inside the locker room.
“What have they done? They’ve grabbed each other in the locker room, they’ve pulled each other closer and said, ‘We’re all we have and we’re all we need.’ something that can help us win football games,” Harris said.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer of the Alabama Crimson Tide prior to their game against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 6, 2025 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
FUEL RIVALS
While Harris provides fine analysis of the college football game throughout the season, he is fully invested in his No. 6 Crimson Tide, especially this week as they host No. 11 Tennessee in Tuscaloosa.
Dr. Pepper is hosting a special game day event to debut “The Pepper Portal,” a first-of-its-kind fan experience that connects rival college towns before the big game. Harris will represent the Crimson Tide, while current Patriots quarterback Josh Dobbs, a former Volunteers signal caller, will be on the road with him.
These two will engage with fans through the Pepper portal, meet local NIL talent on-site and share their thoughts on who will win on Saturday night.
