Alabama lands 1 player in ESPN’s ranking of the top 10 freshmen so far in 2025
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide have been absolutely rolling over the past couple of months, jumping out to a 6-1 record following their Week 1 letdown against the Florida State Seminoles.
Much of the success for the Tide has been driven by veteran players and upperclassmen, but a few newcomers have also been making their mark early on for head coach Kalen DeBoer‘s squad.
One true freshman in particular that has stood out for Alabama has been offensive lineman Michael Carroll, and the 6-foot-6, 321-pound 18-year-old just made ESPN’s list of the top-10 most impactful freshmen so far in 2025. Carroll cracked the list at No. 7.
Here’s some analysis on Carroll from ESPN’s Billy Tucker:
Alabama has mixed and matched combinations up front so far this season with Carroll becoming a bigger part of the equation each week. He has impressed Crimson Tide coaches with his versatility and football know-how despite his inexperience… The IMG Academy product is arguably the best technician in his true freshmen class with great size and athleticism at 6-foot-6, 321 pounds with a bit of a nasty streak that offensive linemen love. Keeping quarterback Ty Simpson upright is paramount for a Crimson Tide offense that has relied heavily on its passing attack so far in 2025.
Carroll has played in 6 of the 7 contests Alabama has played thus far, earning his first start against Tennessee last weekend, where he locked down the right side of the offensive line for the Crimson Tide.
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With the Tide now rolling along heading into the final stretch of their regular season slate, Carroll figures to be a permanent fixture in that right tackle spot for DeBoer and his staff heading into what they hope will be a deep postseason run.
Alabama will face South Carolina on Saturday.
