The 2015 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It marked the Crimson Tide's 121st overall season, 82nd as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 24th within the SEC Western Division. The team played its home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They were led by ninth-year head coach Nick Saban. They finished the season with a record of 14 wins and 1 loss (14–1 overall, 7–1 in the SEC), as SEC champions and as consensus national champions after they defeated Clemson in the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship Game. Alabama also secured its 10th Associated Press (AP) national title. Running back Derrick Henry became Alabama's second Heisman Trophy recipient. He led the nation in both rushing yards (2,219) and rushing touchdowns (28).
Offseason Departures Notable departures from the 2014 squad included juniors Amari Cooper, T. J. Yeldon, and Landon Collins, who all forwent their final year of eligibility and declared for the 2015 NFL draft.
Name Number Position Height Weight Year Hometown NotesT. J. Yeldon 4 Running back 6'1" 226 Junior Daphne, AL Declared for the 2015 NFL draftAmari Cooper 9 Wide receiver 6'1" 211 Junior Miami, FL Declared for the 2015 NFL draftLandon Collins 26 Defensive back 6'0" 228 Junior New Orleans, LA Declared for the 2015 NFL draftDeAndrew White 2 Wide receiver 5'11" 193 Senior Houston, TX Undrafted Free Agent.Blake Sims 6 Quarterback 5'11" 218 Senior Gainesville, GA Undrafted Free AgentJarrick Williams 20 Defensive back 6'1" 209 Senior Mobile, AL Undrafted Free AgentChristion Jones 22 Wide receiver/return specialist 5'10" 182 Senior Adamsville, AL Undrafted Free AgentTrey DePriest 33 Linebacker 6'0" 254 Senior Springfield, OH Undrafted Free AgentJalston Fowler 45 Fullback 6'1" 248 Senior Mobile, AL Declared for the 2015 NFL draftXzavier Dickson 47 Linebacker 6'3" 260 Senior Griffin, GA Declared for the 2015 NFL draftLeon Brown 72 Offensive tackle 6'6" 320 Senior Riverdale, MD Undrafted Free AgentArie Kouandjio 77 Offensive guard 6'5" 310 Senior Hyattsville, MD Declared for the 2015 NFL draftAustin Shepherd 79 Offensive tackle 6'4" 315 Senior Buford, GA Declared for the 2015 NFL draftBrian Vogler 84 Tight end 6'7" 263 Senior Columbus, GA Undrafted Free AgentBrandon Ivory 99 Defensive tackle 6'4" 311 Senior Memphis, TN Undrafted Free Agent
Incoming transfers
2015 recruiting class
Prior to National Signing Day in February 2015, eight players enrolled for the spring semester in order to participate in spring practice and included six former high school seniors and two junior college transfers. On National Signing Day, Alabama signed 18 additional players out of high school that completed the 2015 recruiting class. The class was highlighted by 19 players from the "ESPN 300": . Alabama signed the No. 1 recruiting class according to ESPN.com and 247Sports.com, and No. 2 according to "Rivals.com" and "Scout.com" behind USC.
Returning starters Alabama had seven returning players on offense, five on defense and five on special teams that started games in 2014.
Offense
Player Class Position Derrick Henry Junior Running back Ryan Kelly Senior Center Cam Robinson Sophomore Offensive Tackle O. J. Howard Junior Tight EndReference:
Defense Player Class Position Geno Matias-Smith Senior Safety Cyrus Jones Senior Cornerback Jarran Reed Senior Defensive End A'Shawn Robinson Junior Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen Junior Defensive End Reggie Ragland Senior LinebackerReference:
Special teams Player Class Position Adam Griffith Junior Placekicker J. K. Scott Sophomore Punter Cole Mazza Junior Long SnapperReference:
Spring practice
Alabama started spring practice on March 16 and concluded 15 practices later on April 18 with the annual A-Day game.
Coaching staff Alabama head coach Nick Saban entered his ninth year as the Crimson Tide's head coach for the 2015 season. During his previous eight years with Alabama, he led the Crimson Tide to an overall record of 86 wins and 17 losses (86–17, ) and the 2009, 2011 and 2012 national championships.
Nick Saban Head coach 9th Burton Burns Associate head coach, running backs 9th Lane Kiffin Offensive coordinator, quarterbacks 2nd Bo Davis Defensive line 2nd Kirby Smart Defensive coordinator, inside linebackers 9th Mario Cristobal Offensive line 3rd Billy Napier Wide receivers 3rd Tosh Lupoi Outside linebackers 1st Bobby Williams Tight ends and special teams 8th Scott Cochran Strength and conditioning 9th Mel Tucker Assistant head coach and defensive backs 1stReference:2015 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Media Guide, p. 2
Players Depth chart As of September 5, 2015.
Schedule The 2015 schedule was released on October 14, 2014. Alabama faced all six Western Division opponents: Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M. They faced two Eastern Division opponents: official SEC rival Tennessee and Georgia. Alabama was not scheduled to play SEC opponents Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina or Vanderbilt – although ultimately faced Florida in the SEC Championship Game. They were also scheduled to play four non-conference games: Wisconsin of the Big Ten Conference, Middle Tennessee of Conference USA, Louisiana–Monroe of the Sun Belt Conference and Charleston Southern of the FCS' Big South Conference.
Game summaries
vs #20 Wisconsin Badgers
The University of Alabama's junior running back Derrick Henry had a career day, rushing 13 times for 147 yards and three touchdowns to lead the No. 3 Crimson Tide past No. 20 Wisconsin 35–17 in the Advocare Classic inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday night.
Henry opened up the game's scoring, breaking off a 37-yard run in the first quarter to put Alabama ahead 7–0. He put up two more scores in the third quarter, including a 56-yard touchdown rush that put him over 100 yards for the night, the sixth time in his career he has eclipsed the century mark in a game.
Senior quarterback Jake Coker, making his debut as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback, was an efficient 15-of-21 for 213 yards and one touchdown to go along with no turnovers. Sophomore Cooper Bateman also saw action in the second half, finishing 7-for-8 with 51 yards.
Defensively, Alabama was dominant at the line of scrimmage, holding the Badgers to just 40 yards rushing on 21 attempts, an average of 1.9 yards per rush. Senior linebacker Reggie Ragland recorded 12 total tackles, including five solo. Additionally, Jonathan Allen had two sacks and the team broke up seven passes on the night.
Overall, the Tide gained 502 yards (264 passing and 238 rushing), picked up 28 first downs, and averaged 7.6 yards per play. Wisconsin totaled 268 yards (228 passing and 40 rushing), along with converting 17 first downs and averaging 4.5 yards per play. The Tide also did not commit a turnover on the night.
Alabama won its season opener for the 97th time in 121 season opening games with the victory. The Tide also moved to 6–0 in neutral-site season opening games.
Alabama : 1–0, 0–0 SEC
vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
The No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (2–0) opened its 2015 home slate in impressive fashion, forcing four turnovers en route to a 37–10 victory over visiting Middle Tennessee (1–1) in front of 98,568 fans at Bryant–Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
After a shaky opening quarter by both teams, the Crimson Tide was able to extend a 7–3 lead to a 23–3 halftime margin. Senior quarterback Jake Coker, who had another solid game, hit Robert Foster for a 19-yard touchdown to open the scoring. Derrick Henry added touchdown runs of 1 and 2 yards in the second quarter, and he reached the end zone a third time thanks to a 28-yard burst in the third quarter. Sophomore quarterback Cooper Bateman recorded his first touchdown pass of his career, connecting with Kenyan Drake on a shovel pass for a 14-yard scoring play as well.
Defensively, Alabama recovered all three fumbles it forced while also getting one interception, the most turnovers an Alabama defensive has forced since September 8, 2012, against Western Kentucky. Senior linebacker Reggie Ragland led the team in tackles once again, recording a total of 7.5, including six solos. The secondary also broke up six passes.
For the game, Alabama totaled 532 yards (312 passing and 220 rushing), notched 28 first downs and averaged 6.5 yards per play. Middle Tennessee gained 275 yards (189 passing and 86 rushing), along with collecting 15 first downs and averaging 3.7 yards per play. The Tide limited its penalties on the day, being flagged only five times for 40 yards.
Alabama: 2–0, 0–0 SEC
vs #15 Ole Miss Rebels
The No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide could not overcome five turnovers in its SEC opener, falling by a final score of 43–37 to the No. 15/11 Ole Miss Rebels (3–0; 1–0) in a back-and-forth contest in front of a sellout crowd of 101,821 on Saturday night at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
The opening kickoff of the game would set the tone for Alabama, as a fumble by sophomore receiver ArDarius Stewart on the return was recovered by Ole Miss. The Rebels were able to turn that into three points, the only points of the quarter. The Tide evened the score early in the second quarter, but two more turnovers in the quarter allowed the Rebels to take advantage of short fields to reach the end zone twice. Alabama was playing from behind for the rest of the game, twice getting within six points, but unable to complete the comeback.
For the game, the Tide offense totaled 503 yards (288 passing and 215 rushing), picked up 29 first downs and averaged an even 5.0 yards per play. Ole Miss gained 433 yards (341 passing and 92 rushing), along with converting 16 first downs and averaging 6.7 yards per play. Alabama limited its penalties again, getting flagged just four times for 36 yards, but lost the turnover battle by a 5–0 margin.
Alabama: 2–1, 0–1 SEC
vs Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks
The 12th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide shut out the visiting ULM Warhawks (1–2; 0–0 in the Sun Belt Conference) by a final score of 34–0 in front of 101,323 fans at Bryant–Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Tide got off to another slow start offensively, getting on the board with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter thanks to a three-yard run by junior running back Derrick Henry. Senior quarterback Jacob Coker found freshman wide receiver Calvin Ridley for a touchdown early in the second quarter, the first of the rookie's career. In the second half, Alabama was able to put the game away. Junior placekicker Adam Griffith made field goals of 35 and 40 yards, and Coker tossed two more touchdowns.
Defensively, the Tide dominated ULM. For the game, the Alabama defense allowed a total of 92 yards from scrimmage, the fewest yards given up by an Alabama defense since the 2012 BCS Championship Game against LSU, when the Tigers also gained 92 yards of offense. The defense also recorded six quarterback sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
Alabama gained 303 yards total yards (166 passing and 137 rushing) and converted 17 first downs. The Warhawks picked up 83 yards through the air and nine on the ground, along with gaining 10 first downs.
Alabama: 3–1, 0–1 SEC
@ #8 Georgia Bulldogs
The No. 13/13 Alabama Crimson Tide put together a dominating performance on the road to beat No. 8/6 Georgia (4–1, 2–1) 38–10 Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.
In a game played mostly in a steady rain, senior quarterback Jake Coker and the Alabama offense were efficient while the defense had both Bulldogs quarterbacks under duress all game long. Coker had a rushing and passing touchdown, junior running back Derrick Henry added another touchdown on the ground, and the Tide scored on a 50-yard interception return by junior defensive back Eddie Jackson and on a blocked punt by freshman defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.