Why Wommack Believes Devan Thompkins Can Be a Force in Alabama’s Run Defense

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.—The Crimson Tide enters the 2026 season with a completely overhauled Bandit position (a hybrid, heavy-edge defensive end role) after losing last year’s starters LT Overton (NFL Draft), Jordan Renaud (transfer), and key rotational player Keon Keeley (transfer). With these departures, new faces will have the opportunity to step up and make a significant impact.

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After Alabama’s sixth fall camp practice on Tuesday, defensive coordinator Kane Wommack addressed the Bandit position and highlighted newcomer Devan Thompkins, a fifth-year senior transfer from USC. Wommack emphasized Thompkins’s versatility and detailed how the former Trojan pass rusher could become a crucial part of the Crimson Tide’s defense at Bandit this season.

“Devan [Thompkins] has a special skill set just to be that big and athletic, and he can move and do some things both from the Bandit position and from the three-technique position,” Wommack said. “It allows me as a play caller, right? There’s a lot of different things we can do with him, but just his physicality, his ability to take on blocks, disengage.”

Thompkins played in 28 games over four seasons at Southern California. In 2025, he totaled 31 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, and one forced fumble in 12 games.

Wommack and the Crimson Tide’s run defense will count on the fifth-year senior transfer to play meaningful snaps at Bandit in 2026. Wommack noted that Thompkins’s combination of athleticism and physicality makes him a tough assignment for tight ends in one-on-one situations, potentially giving Alabama a key advantage against opponents’ running games.

“Offenses are trying to figure out how can they attack that C-gap area, so they’re going to create tight ends in that to create a C-gap area, or a split-zone concept or insert somebody back inside, and so if you can constrict that area it makes it more difficult to run the ball or for the ball to be able to wind back, and he is a very physical presence in there,” Wommack said. “You look at the tight ends in our league, and there’s some really good tight ends, but he’s going to be really hard to be able to say ‘Okay, we’re going to put a tight end one-on-one with him and win in that C-gap area.’ So it definitely helps the dynamic of what we need to do to stop the run.”

Alabama will kick off the 2026 season at home against East Carolina on September 5, with the game set to begin at 11 a.m.

Micah Nichols covers Alabama baseball, football, and basketball for Tide100.9. Follow @MicahNichols0 on X for in-game updates, highlights, and more Crimson Tide content.