Alabama Football: 5 Players Guaranteed to Surpass Their Predecessors

Though duplicating the production of star players can be difficult, replacing them is far from being a daunting task at the University of Alabama. Whenever one player moves on, another guy steps up and fills the role like a champ.

There are a few new starters who are looking to eclipse what the guys before them did as well as some current starters who are making position changes.

Here are five guys who are certain to take what their predecessors did, build upon it and improve it.

Kenny Bell, WR (6'1", 180 Pounds)

Replacing: Marquis Maze

Alabama's game plan in 2011 developed into a receiver-by-committee situation and will likely be duplicated in 2012. QB AJ McCarron loves to spread the ball around.

Marquis Maze was not exactly a "go-to" receiver, but he was certainly the most productive with 627 receiving yards on 56 catches.

Bell is my pick in 2012 for being that guy who leads the team in receiving yards, but he won't likely hit 1,000 yards.

As much as I loved Maze and what he did for Alabama, he was simply a good receiver who was limited by his size. At 5'8" and 180 pounds with a lot of bad body weight (one too many steak dinners?), he was more quick than fast, with low top-end speed for a small guy.

Bell has none of those issues and is just as good.

Barrett Jones, C (6'5", 302 Pounds)

Replacing: William Vlachos

William Vlachos was one heck of a center for the Tide for three straight years. He performed his role well and was rarely penalized.

Like Maze, however, he was limited by his size. Closer to six-foot-nothing than 6'1", Vlachos was undersized for his position and had some very short arms—T-Rex arms, my friends.

Barrett Jones can play the center position, and he has proven this to the coaches. If he plays center like he did left tackle, you can bet he'll be more effective than Vlachos was.

Jones better make room for a Rimington Trophy right next to his Outland.

Cyrus Kouandjio, LT (6'6", 311 Pounds)

Replacing: Barrett Jones

Don't ask me why Cyrus Kouandjio let this picture hit the Internet. Opponents are probably already suffering from high blood pressure and having panic attacks. It just isn't fair. 

Kouandjio is the blue chip of blue chips when it comes to left tackle. He is huge in every aspect except for the gut. He would look like a linebacker if you didn't know his actual height and weight.

Jones was arguably the best left tackle in the nation last year, and that's tough to top. Will Kouandjio surpass Jones in performance in 2012? It's certainly possible, but it's going to happen before Kouandjio heads to the NFL.

Alabama fans better enjoy him while they can, because he'll be gone after only two years of starting.

Jesse Williams, NT (6'4", 320 Pounds)

Replacing: Josh Chapman/Nick Gentry

Jesse Williams was brought to Alabama by Nick Saban to be the future nose tackle. He will only get one year of production at the position, but it will prove to be worth it.

Williams is everything that the Chapman/Gentry combo was, but better. He can rush the passer from the middle like Gentry did, and control the line and plug holes against the run like Chapman.

The motor that Williams possesses makes him a true, every-down nose tackle, which is something Saban has not had while at Alabama. Even the legendary Mount Cody couldn't play every down.

Take all the qualities that made Chapman and Gentry good, strip away all their deficiencies and you have yourself a tattooed beast from Australia named Jesse Williams.

Adrian Hubbard, OLB (6'6", 248 Pounds)

Replacing: Courtney Upshaw

Courtney Upshaw perfectly performed as Alabama's Jack linebacker and racked up plenty of stats. I'm not going to knock on those stats, but I do recognize that Upshaw made plenty of plays in 2011 when opposing teams completely ignored him several times.

Upshaw was the one guy you wanted to make sure you blocked, and numerous times he took a clear, uninhibited path to the quarterback. He was strong as a bull, but his size came with a penalty. He wasn't the fastest guy on the field, and he didn't have the longest arms, either.

Adrian Hubbard will have a tough time matching Upshaw's production, but he's far more athletic. He's faster, leaner and has some incredible reach.

Hubbard's not as strong as Upshaw, but he won't need to be when he flat-out beats left tackles with his athleticism. Double-digit sacks from this young man just might be more than just a possibility.