https://www.ua.edu/news/2019/10/new-university-of-alabama-program-to-expand-research-with-industry/ This details a new initiative to encourage industry to partner with UA research programs. I am not sure if this kind of program is going on at other schools, but it seems like a great opportunity for both UA and industry to benefit.
https://www.ua.edu/news/2019/10/ua-research-sets-another-record-external-sponsored-awards-surge/ "For the 2019 fiscal year, UA’s total sponsored awards reached nearly $132.5 million, an increase of more than 33% from the previous year. "
These are the kind of things that will eventually lead to an improvement for UA in the annual rankings. Or maybe I should say, a return to a much higher ranking of the recent past.