Alabama Football: Early 2015 Depth Chart Projections

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It's never too early to start looking ahead to 2015.

Alabama fans always have a keen eye on the future despite Nick Saban's pleadings about living in the present, but with the 2014 season over and in the books, fans can do that now guilt-free.

And what better place to start than with a depth chart projection?

Obviously, a lot can and will change between now and then—a recruit could commit or decommit, players make improvements in spring practice and fall camp, and there could be an unexpected transfer or two.

But it's still valuable to look at projections like this. It can help give a feel for expectations for certain players, how weak or strong some units are supposed to look and where the biggest offseason focuses will be.

Let's give the two-deep a shot along with some observations:

Position	First-team	Second-team
QB	Jake Coker/Alec Morris	Cooper Bateman/David Cornwell/Blake Barnett
RB	Derrick Henry	Kenyan Drake/Tyren Jones
TE	O.J. Howard	Malcolm Faciane/Brandon Greene/Ty Flournoy-Smith
WR (X)	ArDarius Stewart	Robert Foster
WR(Z)	Cam Sims	Raheem Falkins
WR (Y)	Chris Black	Derek Kief
LT	Cam Robinson	Grant Hill
LG	Ross Pierschbacher	JC Hassenauer
C	Ryan Kelly	Bradley Bozeman/Josh Casher
RG	Alphonse Taylor	Dallas Warmack
RT	Dominick Jackson	Grant Hill
DE	Jonathan Allen	D.J. Pettway
NG	A'Shawn Robinson	Jonathan Taylor
DE	Jarran Reed	Da'Shawn Hand
SAM	Denzel Devall	Tim Williams
MIKE	Reuben Foster	Shaun Dion Hamilton
WILL	Reggie Ragland	Dillon Lee
JACK	Ryan Anderson	Rashaan Evans
CB	Cyrus Jones	Marlon Humphrey
FS	Geno Smith	Jabriel Washington
SS	Maurice Smith	Hootie Jones
CB	Eddie Jackson	Tony Brown
Star	Hootie Jones	Deionte Thompson/Ronnie Harrison
P	JK Scott	Alec Morris
PK	Adam Griffith	Gunnar Raborn
KR/PR	Cyrus Jones	Chris Black
LS	Cole Mazza	MK Taylor

Wide open at quarterback

Jake Coker and Alec Morris make the first team here since they have the most experience and most playing time. But this race will be a lot more than the two-horse contest we saw between Coker and Blake Sims this time last year.

The big question is how much will that experience matter to Saban and Lane Kiffin this time around?

With the returning talent this year, especially on offense, it was easy to go with a "win now" mentality with Sims. Will Kiffin and Saban want to go with Coker this year, a guy with the tools whom they wanted a year ago? Or will they opt for a younger face to give them some continuity at the position and not have to do this all over again next year.

Keep an eye on Blake Barnett, a super freshman from California who is already on campus and ready to make an impact sooner rather than later.

Work to be done on offensive line

Alabama will be replacing three starters on the offensive line, so like this past offseason, expect that unit to be a work in progress.

It returns its anchor in Cam Robinson, who will be entering his second year in the program after a stellar freshman season. And also back is Ryan Kelly, who will be in his third year starting at center.

After that, your guess is as good as mine.

Grant Hill and Dominick Jackson seem to be the best "next man up" candidates, but they both primarily play right tackle. Can either make the switch to guard? And will one of Alabama's other studs from the 2014 class—J.C. Hassenauer or Ross Pierschbacher—make the next step, or will a true freshman like Dallas Warmack or Lester Cotton emerge?

New faces at skill positions

The Crimson Tide will be breaking in a new starter at running back as well as at all three wide receiver positions. That doesn't mean those replacements will be as green as the spring grass, though.

Derrick Henry, Kenyan Drake and Tyren Jones figure to make up Alabama's next version of a three-headed monster, with each member of the trio bringing a different skill set to the position.

Out at wide receiver, though, the competition may be as wide open as that of the players getting them the ball.

ArDarius Stewart, Chris Black and Cam Sims saw the most playing time this season of any returning player. Robert Foster was a highly touted prospect out of high school who has waited two years for his turn.

That group may lack experience, but they don't in talent.

Defensive line the strength on D

Alabama won't lack for size and speed up front.

In Jarran Reed, D.J. Pettway, A'Shawn Robinson and Jonathan Allen, the Crimson Tide are expected to return four studs from their already great 2014 unit. Now, all four will have an extra year under their belts.

To really get a feel for how strong this group is, consider the names who didn't make the cut—Dalvin Tomlinson, Darren Lake, Josh Frazier. They all figure to see the field at some point in time in what will be a deep rotation.

Will a true candidate at safety step up?

The safety groupings are as good a guess as any but will likely see a lot of experimenting during the spring and into the fall.

The Smiths—Geno and Maurice—are the most experienced options on the back end who have shown some promise. Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who also coaches the secondary, are likely hoping those two can make for a formidable tandem.

Behind them, Laurence "Hootie" Jones is a good candidate at "Star"—essentially a fifth defensive back who typically plays closer to the line. Jones showed some of that promise as a true freshman.

Marc Torrence is the Alabama lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.