Position-by-Position Preview of Alabama's 2015 Roster

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama football team’s 2015 roster is all but set in stone.

Braxton Miller and Everett Golson have made their final decisions on transfer destinations—or lack thereof. Nick Saban said on Thursday that the rest of the Crimson Tide’s 2015 recruiting class is on campus. Barring a late summer transfer or two, Alabama has the personnel that it will go into the 2015 season with.

It may still be 92 days until Alabama takes the field against Wisconsin, but in just over a month, SEC media days will mark the unofficial start of the college football season.

So with everything in place roster-wise, let’s go position by position and break down where each one stands.

Quarterback

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We begin with the most high-profile position group right now, where Jake Coker and redshirt freshman David Cornwell emerged from spring practice as favorites.

Last week, wide receiver Chris Black tweeted a picture of him and Cornwell working out together, a voluntary act since coaches are prohibited from working on the field with players during the offseason.

This comes with the don’t-read-too-much-into-a-tweet caveat, but Black is a veteran receiver, so the fact that he’s working with Cornwell is at least mildly interesting. Cornwell has actually been on campus for a semester longer than Coker has, but he still needs to develop that chemistry with his receivers to become the starter and thrive in that role.

If there’s one thing that Saban’s previous quarterback competitions can teach us, it’s that this thing won’t end anytime soon. Don’t expect a firm resolution to this until two or three games into 2015.

Running Back

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Alabama will be loaded at the top, while the bottom is to be determined.

At Nos. 1 and 2—or more like 1A and 1B—are Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake, who will make up one of the most terrifying duos in the country.

Henry is a power back who can move once he gets in open space, finally getting his opportunity to be The Guy in the backfield. Drake is a home run speedster who can and will be used all over the field. Together, their skills complement each other like yin and yang.

Behind them, though, Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin would like to have a reliable No. 3. He hasn’t quite emerged yet.

True freshman DeSherrius Flowers and redshirt freshman Ronnie Clark shared those duties in the spring, but 5-star Damien Harris could seize that role with a strong summer and fall camp showing.

Wide Receiver

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There won’t be a No. 1 receiver this year, at least to start out, but that may be a good thing. Kiffin has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal for his new quarterback to get the ball to.

Robert Foster, ArDarius Stewart and Chris Black were the top three options during the spring, with Foster and Stewart taking home co-MVP honors at the spring game.

But a player to watch in this group will be Calvin Ridley, a 5-star wide receiver from the same part of the country as Amari Cooper who enrolled during the summer. Ridley is already 20 years old, so the age curve won’t be an issue.

The Crimson Tide will be loaded on the outside while also boasting a true freshman who could be a fast riser as the season progresses.

Tight End

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It seems like we ask ourselves the question every offseason: “Is this the year O.J. Howard finally has a breakout year?”

The 6’6” 5-star tight end came in with a ton of hype and was billed as a huge receiving threat. Through two years, though—whether it’s been his utilization, skill set or both—he’s amassed just 31 catches and 529 yards.

The answer to that question this year: Alabama needs him to.

Howard returns as the No. 1 guy after Brian Vogler graduated with not much help behind him. Ty Flournoy-Smith is still an unproven commodity after coming in from JUCO, while the next two options are a converted defensive lineman (Dakota Ball) and a converted offensive tackle (Brandon Greene).

Saban said during the spring that Howard would play a big role in the offense this year, but fans will have to wait and see it before they believe it.

Offensive Line

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Alabama should be much improved on the offensive line from a physicality standpoint, as a starting five emerged from spring practice and largely worked together during that time period.

From left to right, Cam Robinson, Ross Pierschbacher, Ryan Kelly, Bradley Bozeman and Dominick Jackson will make up a strong—if inexperienced—group up front.

They should particularly be stout against the run. Robinson showed acumen there as a true freshman, and Pierschbacher is a mauler inside next to him. Jackson played in a triple-option offense in junior college, so his pass blocking is still a work in progress, but he’ll be a force when Alabama keeps it on the ground.

Last year, Alabama lacked tenacity and ferocity up front. That shouldn’t be much of an issue this year.

Defensive Line

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If you asked at what position Alabama is the most talented, the easy answer is defensive line. And that speaks much more about the talent on the defensive line than it does the talent across the board.

The Crimson Tide will rotate four guys at the top—A’Shawn Robinson, Jonathan Allen, Jarran Reed and D.J. Pettway—who all played a lot last year and could get drafted next year in the upper rounds. Behind them is still a wealth of talent in Da’Shawn Hand and Dalvin Tomlinson.

One place where Alabama needs someone to emerge is as a run-stuffing nose tackle. Jonathan Taylor was supposed to be that guy, but his dismissal after a domestic violence arrest ended that mostly before it could start.

Junior Darren Lake, sophomore Josh Frazier or incoming freshman Daron Payne could all potentially fill that role and take Alabama’s defensive line from freakishly great to legendary.

Linebacker

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Reggie Ragland will be the alpha dog of the defense and lead a linebacker unit that will be able to play a large number of players.

Inside, Ragland will play next to either Shaun Dion Hamilton or Reuben Foster, with the likely scenario being a mix of both. Dillon Lee can also play inside and probably will situationally on passing downs.

Outside, Alabama has four guys who will be able to rotate in and out and put a lot of pressure on the passer either standing up or with their hand in the dirt.

Denzell Devall is the veteran of that group, while Ryan Anderson, Tim Williams and Rashaan Evans have all shown flashes of pass-rushing skills.

Secondary

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Alabama’s biggest player surprise last year came at cornerback, where Cyrus Jones became a legitimate No. 1 option. The only question now is who will play next to him.

That question was mostly answered in the spring after Eddie Jackson moved to safety, which cleared the way for Tony Brown to start opposite Jones.

At safety, Landon Collins and Nick Perry’s departures will hurt, but strength in numbers should help that unit be better than it was in 2014.

Jackson gives Alabama a safety who has experience playing against the pass, and Geno Smith has seen playing time at free safety. Hootie Jones played a lot as a freshman and should be able to build off that this year, while true freshman Ronnie Harrison was regularly lauded as a spring standout.

The secondary was a major weakness for the Crimson Tide last year, but there is good reason to believe it should be much better in 2015.

Special Teams

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There won’t be much suspense on special teams for Alabama, which will return all of its starters in that group.

Adam Griffith continued to take criticism last year, but after the season, he revealed that he played through a stress fracture in his back all year. The kicker had a strong spring and should carry that over into the season.

JK Scott dominated as a freshman punter, being a finalist for the Ray Guy Award in his first season. He’s become sort of a cult hero in Tuscaloosa, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t be as good again next year.

Marc Torrence is the Alabama lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes and reporting were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.