Both Alabama and Auburn enter the 2025 Iron Bowl with a lot at stake.
The Crimson Tide (9-2, 6-1 SEC) need a win to reach the SEC Championship Game and potentially clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers (5-6, 1-6) are playing for bowl-eligibility, and also to ruin their arch rival’s season.
This year’s game is at Jordan–Hare Stadium, which usually means it will come down to the final play, or at least the final minutes. This also happens frequently in the Iron Bowls that Alabama has won at Auburn.
Heading into the 2025 game, how do the Crimson Tide and Tigers match up? We take a look at our annual Iron Bowl position-by-position breakdown:
quarterback
Alabama’s Ty Simpson had been a Heisman favorite just two weeks earlier, but uneven performances against Oklahoma and Eastern Illinois had nearly eliminated him from the competition. He has had to carry the Crimson Tide offense on his shoulders in many ways this season, and will be relied upon to do so again in the Iron Bowl. After playing without a reliable quarterback all season, Auburn may now have two quarterbacks. Ashton Daniels had a tremendous performance two weeks ago against Vanderbilt, while true freshman Deuce Knight shined very brightly this past weekend vs. Mercer. We can see both in the Iron Bowl. Neither of these players have ever started in an Iron Bowl, but Simpson has more experience in the big game this season.
advantage: alabama
running back
The lack of a consistent running game has been Alabama’s biggest problem this season, with Jaime Miller, Kevin Riley and Daniel Hill all below average (although Hill has been the best of the group recently). The inability of the Crimson Tide’s backs to make explosive plays has led offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to invent and utilize receivers on jet sweeps and end-arounds to simulate a rushing attack. Running the ball Auburn has played well offensively most of the year and Jeremiah Cobb has been one of the best backs in the SEC. There isn’t a lot of depth behind him, but Cobb has shown he can carry the running game on his own.
advantage: golden brown color
receiver
Jerami Bernard isn’t the most famous receiver on Alabama’s roster, but he has been the best from both a production and reliability standpoint. Ryan Williams has been great at times, but remains inconsistent at catching the ball. Isaiah Horton and Lotzier Brooks have both been steady. The status of Josh Cuevas is not yet known due to an ankle injury Saturday. The decline in his No. 2 position has been very rapid. Auburn has as talented a wide receiver room as any team in the country, but it hasn’t always done a good job of utilizing it. Cam Coleman is a big play waiting to happen, while Eric Singleton is excellent from a volume standpoint. There is no proven No. 3, although Malcolm Simmons and Perry Thompson have had some moments. The Tigers’ tight ends don’t offer much in the passing game.
advantage: even
offensive line
While Alabama center Parker Brailsford (who was held out of the Eastern Illinois game) and left tackle Kadin Proctor have been among the best in the country at their positions, the rest of the line has been average at best. Right tackle Wilkin Formby has held down freshman Michael Carroll so far. Guards Geno VanDeMark, Jaden Roberts and Kam Dewberry haven’t gotten the job done in the running game. Auburn’s offensive line was supposed to be a strength this year, but it has become a liability, especially after center Connor Lue missed the season with a knee injury. Tackles Xavier Chaplin and Ijavion Miller and guards Dillon Wade and Jeremiah Wright have blocked well in the run game, but have been wasted by superior SEC defensive lines in pass protection.
advantage: alabama
defensive line
Alabama is very good on the edge, with LT Overton on one side and Yonza Pierre on the other. Qua Russo also played last week for the first time since mid-September and performed well. Interior linemen Tim Keenan, James Smith and Edric Hill have all been steady. Auburn defensive end Keldrick Faulk has played like a future NFL first-rounder, and backup Amaris Williams has been solid. However, the rest of the line – which includes Bobby Jamison-Travis, Dallas Walker and Malik Blocken inside – is just fine.
advantage: alabama
linebacker
Alabama’s Justin Jefferson and Donte Lawson have both been excellent in run support, and Colorado transfer Nikhai Hill-Green has been a capable No. 3. Auburn’s trio of Xavier Atkins, Robert Woodyard and Kieron Crawford have been very active against both the run and the pass, with Atkins in particular being a candidate for All-America honors this season. Chris Murray has also had some big games for the Tigers, who lost former blue-chip recruit DeMarcus Riddick to a season-ending injury last week.
advantage: golden brown color
secondary
Alabama has three quality corners in Zabien Brown, Domani Jackson and freshman Dijon Lee, and an excellent pair of safeties in Keon Saab and Bre Hubbard. DeShawn Jones and Red Morgan have been mediocre at the nickel position. For Auburn, cornerbacks Kayin Lee, Rayshawn Pleasant and Jay Crawford are pretty average, as are safeties Caleb Harris and Jahquez Robinson and nickel men Sylvester Smith and Kensley Lauder-Fostin.
advantage: alabama
special teams
Alabama’s kicking game has some serious issues, the most glaring being the instability of kicker Connor Talty. The return game hasn’t been great either, and punt coverage has leaked at some inopportune times. Now apparently overcoming his life-threatening offseason medical issues, Auburn kicker Alex McPherson has become an asset in recent weeks. Pleasant is also a major threat in the kickoff return game. The punter of any team is nothing special.
advantage: golden brown color
to teach
Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer has been a constant and the Crimson Tide have certainly advanced with the hiring of Grubb during the offseason. Defensive coordinator Ken Womack takes a lot of criticism, but his side of the ball has been much more consistent than Alabama’s offense this season. There have been additions and subtractions in Auburn’s move to ditch Hue Freeze, especially with how it involves Derrick Nix as a playcaller. On the other hand, it appears that DJ Durkin taking over interim coaching duties has had a detrimental effect on the defense.
advantage: alabama
overall
Despite its dominance over Eastern Illinois last week, Alabama does not appear to be a surefire contender for the national championship in October. Nevertheless, the Crimson Tide still has an excellent roster and has shown the ability to play well (if not always cleanly) in big games. Auburn will enter the Iron Bowl with immense confidence based on the improvement of its offense, but the better team almost always wins in this rivalry. And for at least one more year, that’s Alabama.
advantage: alabama
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