It should not have happened in the inaugural year of the 12-team College Football Playoff; however, a certain Southeastern Conference school got Alabama’s attention last season.
The moment came the week following Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide feeling very good about its victory over Georgia on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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DeBoer got his first win over Kirby Smart and Nick Saban was in attendance. He felt as though he had arrived as the next great SEC head coach, yet the tables quickly turned. No one thought anything of Vanderbilt heading into its matchup against Alabama. In fact, the biggest thought was how badly would the Commodores lose at home. Vandy had one player that talked moderate trash about the Tide in 2017, and Alabama gave it a 59-0 woodshed beating.
DeBoer got shocked by the ‘Dores in 2024 as the fighters of Nashville (Tenn.) got a 40-35 victory over Alabama with a transfer portal quarterback. Diego Pavia is back for another season at Vanderbilt, but the Tide is not overlooking Vandy this time. Ryan Williams, now at 18 years old, looks forward to his sophomore matchup against the Commodores in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
He did not mince words in his conversation with former NFL head coach, Jon Gruden when it comes this year’s contest against Vanderbilt.
Alabama's loss to Vanderbilt last season SHOCKED college football, and I got to ask Ryan Williams how Alabama dealt with that and how they will respond this season! pic.twitter.com/n4PtzgIAt8
— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) June 2, 2025
“They [Vanderbilt] played a better game than us in this football game,” Williams said about what happened to Alabama in 2024 versus Vandy. “We came out slow and they capitalized. They held the ball, they had their game plan, and they executed. But going into this game, we don’t call them revenge games. We are going to kill an ant with a sledgehammer this year.”
Williams said every team Alabama loss to in 2024 it has a ‘red eye’ on them this time.
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It will be fun to watch the matchup on Oct. 4 between Alabama and Vandy.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and writer for The Bama Standard. You can follow him on X via @CoachingMSmith.
