What's Next for the Crimson Tide?

After leading the Crimson Tide to its first SEC title in 10 years, its first National Title in 17 years and the program's first ever 14-0 season, Nick Saban and the Alabama coaching staff can now kick back, relax, and enjoy a job well done, right?

WRONG!

Any true Bama fan knows that Nick Saban doesn't know the meaning of the words "time off." Hey, call it grueling if you want but that's how championships are won. I'm sure Saban took at least one day off before returning to the recruiting trail even if that one day was the trip home from California.

So the most logical question now is: What's next?

How does the Tide follow up their 2009 National Championship season? Is a repeat possible in 2010? That will all depend mostly on who stays, who goes, and which player steps up as a first year starter.

LOSSES

Junior All-American inside linebacker Rolando McClain will forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 NFL Draft, McClain announced at a press conference Monday afternoon. This came as no surprise to the Alabama faithful as most thought McClain would do so but anytime a team loses a player like McClain it hurts.

McClain is to Alabama what Peyton Manning is to the Colts.

Javier Arenas leaves a graduating senior. This will also be a loss the Tide will feel. Javy was by far the Crimson Tide's best cover man and was a leader for the team on and off the field.

Also it now appears that Kareem Jackson is strongly considering by-passing his senior season and entering his name in the upcoming draft. Jackson has been mediocre at best as a CB and I think would benefit greatly from another year under Saban's tutelage but money talks.

The Tide will also lose star DT Terrence "Mount" Cody, which will be one of the hardest positions to fill in 2010 due to the shear girth that Cody amasses on the line. Sophomore and Hoover grad Kerry Murphy is one option for NT. Murphy's 6'4" and weighs in at 323 lbs. but hasn't seen any time on the field except for in practice. 

The player Saban and company will go to first to replace Cody will more than likely be junior and fellow Hoover grad Josh Chapman. Chapman will have two years under his belt at the start of the 2010 season but is more suited towards a 4-3 type defense.

Two other players that the Bama defensive line will have to do without next season are seniors Lorenzo Washington and Brandon Deaderick, both of which have been steady figures on the D-line for the past three years.

The Alabama coaching staff will have to replace three of its starting linebackers. Eryk Anders proved to be VERY valuable at the "jack" position and Cory Reamer came in and played outstanding when Donta Hightower went down with an injury.

As hard as it might be to believe for most Tide fans, linebacker will be the easiest position to fill with guys like Courtney Upshaw, Jerrell Harris, and Nico Johnson waiting in the wings, not to mention the well anticipated return of Hightower, Bama reloads at LB.

The offensive line will take a MAJOR hit losing Mike Johnson. He was without a doubt the best player on the offensive line this year. Also leaving will be starting right tackle Drew Davis. But the biggest question still remains at LT. I'm sorry fellow Tide fans but James Carpenter has shown us that the only thing he can do well is imitate a turnstyle.

Hopefully redshirt sophomore Tyler Love or redshirt freshman DJ Fluker can step in at LT and Carpenter can move over to RT, a position that will be better suited to his size and speed.

The secondary like the linebacker positions will take significant losses, especially if Kareem Jackson goes pro. In that case the Crimson Tide will have to replace the starting FS, both corners, and Marquis Johnson at the nickel position. LSU transfer Phelon Jones and highly touted sophomore Dre Kirkpatrick will be the favorites at CB.

Robby Green should step seamlessly into the FS position although he has showed he has some trouble in coverage and BJ Scott is the favorite to play nickelback. Also look for early enrollee Demarcus Milliner to play a role in the secondary as well.

Special teams has been a major concern for the Crimson Tide staff all season long and in 2010 things could get worse. The only viable option Bama has for graduating senior Leigh Tiffin will be true freshman kicker Cade Foster from Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas. Also leaving will be senior punter's P.J. Fitzgerald and Heath Thomas.

Again, the Tide will have to depend on a true freshman to take over the punting duties, 6'4"/220 lb. Jay Williams from Thomasville, Alabama should be the front runner for the job.

But the most significant area of concern for the Crimson Tide will be in kickoff coverage. The Tide yielded kickoff returns for touchdowns in each of its first two games and finished the season allowing an average of 25.6 yards per return. It ranked 116th among the 120 FBS teams. 

Bama will have to find someone to replace the most prolific return man in the history of the SEC with Javier Arenas graduating. The most promising candidate to fill Arenas' shoes is speedy senior Terry Grant but due to injuries over the past two seasons and the emergence of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, Grant has gotten buried in the depth chart.

Special teams could be an avenue that Grant could take to finally prove to everyone that he is still that same great player he was in 2007.

The only group that will for the most part stay intact is the wide receiver core. The biggest loss, literally, will be 6'6"/255 lb. senior tightend Colin Peek. Peek played a major role in the offensive success of the Crimson Tide's championship season, gaining 313 yards on 26 receptions and three TDs.

Also leaving is senior wideout Mike McCoy.

Despite their best efforts, UGA was not able to lure defensive coordinator Kirby Smart away from Alabama, which is great news for Tide fans. Kirby Smart is a fantastic defensive coach and recruiter but what made Smart's decision to stay so crucial was the stability he added to the current coaching staff but before fans could get excited about Coach Smart's decision, our old friend Tommy Tuberville had to come calling for Associate Head Coach/linebackers Coach James Willis.

It's now official that James Willis will be the new defensive coordinator at Texas Tech. Willis joins his old boss and new Texas Tech Head Coach Tommy Tuberville in Lubbock. This makes the third year in a row that Saban will have to replace an assistant coach. But I guess success does have its price.

Hopefully Saban will contact former assistant and current New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Travis Jones to fill the vacancy left by Willis. Jones' name came up repeatedly after Kevin Steele left for Clemson and Lance Thompson's vanishing act to UT.

THE CRIMSON TIDE IN 2010

The beginning of the 2010 season marks the fourth year of the Saban era and what began as "the process" is now quickly turning into ascendancy. With back-to-back No. 1 recruiting titles and well on their way to a third, there is definitely no shortage of talent at The Capstone.

The Tide returns eight starters on offense and only four on defense (if Kareem Jackson doesn't go pro) which raises a lot of questions as to where the Tide will stand defensively for next season. It is encouraging to know however that a large majority of the young players returning on defense has already had a significant amount of playing time.

Josh Chapman, Luthur Davis, and Courtney Upshaw all have seen quite a bit of playing time over the past two seasons and will be looked to by the coaching staff to lead a young defense in 2010.

Next year's Bama defense will face some of the same challenges as the offensive line faced at the beginning of the '09 season. Young, first-year starters will have to step up. Look for players like Dre Kirkpatrick, Nico Johnson, Jerrell Harris, Chris Jordan, and LSU transfer Phelon Jones to play key roles defensively in 2010.

Offensively the Crimson Tide should be much improved next season. Greg McElroy has a much needed year of experience under his belt and with targets like Julio Jones, Marquis Maze, Darius Hanks, Earl Alexander, and youngster Michael Bowman, McElroy should be one of the SEC's top signal callers in 2010.

As I mentioned earlier the offensive line will have to find replacements for All-American left guard Mike Johnson and right tackle Drew Davis. Tyler Love, DJ Fluker, John Michael Boswell, Alfred McCullough, and Chance Warmack will all be in the mix competing for the openings.

The stable of running backs that Alabama boasts will be the best in the country come 2010. Returning Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram will be the premiere back but look for sophomore phenom Trent Richardson to play a much larger role in 2010. Terry Grant  should have more carries next season, along with Jeramie Griffin who is returning from an injury sustained last year during two-a-days.

But all eyes will be on redshirt freshman Eddie Lacy from Geismar, La. as he will enter the rotation in 2010. The addition of Lacy to an already potent line-up makes the Crimson Tide ground game seem almost unfair to opposing teams.

Saban and company will once again bring in some of the nations best blue-chip athletes in the 2010 recruiting class. This years class really signifies where the Tide is as a team right now. We see Saban and the coaching staff being a lot more selective about the players they recruit and not just trying to fill in the gaps.

The 2010 class will be the top defensive back class in the nation. Millbrook, Al. standout Demarcus Milliner is the top rated corner in the nation and should see playing time early returning kicks. Keenan Allen is the top rated safety in the country but will most likely play wide receiver at the next level.

Another highly rated corner is John Fulton from Manning, SC. Fulton has a long frame with room to add another 15 to 20 lbs. but will need some work with his hips and flexibility.

The central theme, it seems, for the class of 2010 is speed. 11 of the 23 commitments for the Tide run a 4.5 or less in the 40 and that includes 6'4"/222 lb. DE Alfy Hill. Other top recruits are Qb Phillip Sims, TE Brian Vogler, RB Corey Grant, DB Jarrick Williams, and WR Keiwone Malone.

OVERALL RESULT

I think in a lot of ways the 2010 Crimson Tide team will be better than the 2009 National Championship squad. Special teams and the secondary will be the two biggest areas of concern for Coach Saban and his staff. 

Replacing players like Rolando McClain, Javier Arenas, Mike Johnson, Leigh Tiffin, and Terrence Cody will be a monumental undertaking. And the 2010 schedule will be a bit more demanding.

But we were all asking the same type of questions at the beginning of the '09 season. And players stepped up and met the challenge as will the new blood for 2010.

This Crimson Tide team is the best coached in the country and as fans of The University of Alabama, we have many things to look forward to in the future.

ROLL TIDE!!!