Alabama Football: Depth Chart Analysis, Complete 2015 Preview and Predictions

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama football program won a title last season, two actually.

You wouldn’t know it by the way everyone has talked about the Crimson Tide since—media, fans, even students. If it was another sport, Alabama could raise banners for the Southeastern Conference’s West Division and the league championship, yet most consider 2014 to have been a down year due to the way it ended in the inaugural playoffs.

“I look at the ring every now and then, but it doesn’t feel like we even won,” senior center Ryan Kelly said. “It doesn’t. At the time it was an awesome feeling. We get the chance to play Ohio State.

“After we lost to Ohio State, I just, all that season was for nothing.”

That was rallying point throughout the offseason, with constant reminders that last year’s defense wasn’t good enough, nor the team’s finish, at least by Alabama’s standards under Nick Saban.

“We’re not allowed to have a bad season, because the fans will let you know when you’re playing badly,” senior linebacker Reggie Ragland said. “We have to have the right mindset at all times because the players that came before us instilled something that we have to keep finishing and keep going on.”

Alabama certainly has the talent to do so. Among the 85 scholarship players this summer, 18 had been rated by 247Sports to be 5-star prospects as recruits, with 47 4-star players. Combined, that’s 76 percent of the roster, meaning this team is arguably as talented and loaded as any Saban’s ever had.

Coaches

Name	Position	Years on staff
Nick Saban	Head Coach	9
Lane Kiffin	Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks	2
Kibry Smart	Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers	9
Burton Burns	Associate Head Coach/Running Back	9
Mario Cristobal	Offensive Line	3
Bo Davis	Defensive Line	6*
Tosh Lupoi	Outside Linebackers	1
Billy Napier	Wide Receivers	3
Mel Tucker	Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs	1
Bobby Williams	Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator	8
Scott Cochran	Director of Strength and Conditioning	9

Saban is back for his ninth season at Alabama, which is nearly twice as long as anywhere else he’s coached, and he’ll turn 64 this fall, specifically on Halloween when the team is enjoying its bye.

Due to make more than $7 million this year, Saban’s the highest-paid coach in college football, and for once there appears to be no one looming to trying and pry him away or talk of a potential return to the National Football League.

Also back are both coordinators. Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart is looking for a bounce-back season while Lane Kiffin returned for what he called his “sophomore” year under Saban.

“There’s still so many things to learn from Coach,” the offensive coordinator said.

While Alabama can no longer claim to have five coaches on the staff with head coaching experience, as linebackers coach Kevin Steele left to be LSU’s defensive coordinator, it instead added a big-time NFL presence with Mel Tucker overseeing the defensive backs.

Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

He spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears and before that had the same position with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2009-12) and Cleveland Browns (2008). Saban gave him his coaching start as a graduate assistant at Michigan State (1997-98), and Tucker was his secondary coach at LSU (2000).

“Mel does a great job with the kids. He has a great demeanor. Kids really respect him. They know he’s got a lot of NFL experience,” Smart said. “When you turn on a clip of an NFL drill, eyes pop open a little more.”

Alabama’s other coaching move was to promote Tosh Lupoi to outside linebackers coach, a position he had previously held at California and Washington.

"Coach Tosh, he's energetic every day,” senior linebacker Denzel Devall said. “There's not a dull moment. He preaches on doing the right thing every play, looking at the right stuff, eyes at the right thing. Great hand placement. He's a technician. Effort, energetic guy, you know. I don't think I've ever seen him down. Just a great coach."

What to watch for on offense

Position	1st String	2nd String	3rd String
QB	Jake Coker - or-	Alec Morris -or-	Cooper Bateman
RB	Derrick Henry	Kenyan Drake	Damien Harris
WR (X)	ArDarius Stewart	Cam Sims -or-	Daylon Charlot
WR (Z)	Robert Foster - or-	Calvin Ridley	Deionte Thompson
WR (H)	Richard Mullaney -or-	Chris Black	N/A
TE	Dakota Ball	Hale Huntges	N/A
TE-H	O.J. Howard	Ty Flournoy-Smith	Michael Nysewander
LT	Cam Robinson	Lester Cotton	Korren Kirven
LG	Ross Pierschbacher	Dallas Warmack	Isaac Luatua
C	Ryan Kelly	J.C. Hassenauer	Brandon Kennedy
RG	Alphonse Taylor -or-	Bradley Bozeman	Richie Petibon
RT	Dominick Jackson	Brandon Greene	Matt Womack
K	Adam Griffith	JK Scott	Gunnar Raborn
KR/PR	Cyrus Jones	Chris Black	Richard Mullaney

Note: This story has been updated with Alabama's official Week 1 depth chart

Losing nine starters would mean disaster for most offenses, but Alabama’s style of play will likely lead to a bigger decrease in its statistics than the turnover in personnel.

With the quarterback competition possibly continuing into the regular season and the offensive line looking like it could be Alabama’s best in years, a bigger emphasis on ball control and the running game is expected.

“Obviously we want to be tough and physical and run the ball,” Kiffin said.

That begins with junior running back Derrick Henry, who ended up leading the Crimson Tide in rushing last season despite not being the starter.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Listed as 6’3”, 242 pounds, he’s physically similar to Eddie George when he played at Ohio State. At Yulee High School in Florida, he broke Ken Hall's 51-year-old national rushing record with 12,124 yards after rushing for 4,261 as a senior in 2012.

He’s gone from being a monster of a prospect to playing in 26 career games, for 1,372 career rushing yards (6.6 average per carry) and 17 touchdowns, with six receptions for 194 yards and three more scores.

Complementing him is senior Kenyan Drake, whom Kiffin has described as a Reggie Bush-type player. Alabama will line him up at running back and out wide to exploit mismatches in coverage.

“He has so many things that he does well,” Saban said. “He has great speed. He has very good running skills and running instincts, but he's a fantastic receiver.”

Although there’s obviously no replacing a wide receiver like Amari Cooper, who set numerous school records last season, ArDarius Stewart will be the primary wide receiver. Coaches hope that sophomore Robert Foster and junior tight end O.J. Howard have breakout seasons, but fans should also keep an eye out for promising true freshman receiver Calvin Ridley.

What to watch for on defense

Position	1st String	2nd String	3rd String
DE	A'Shawn Robinson	Jonathan Allen	D.J. Pettway
NG	Darren Lake -or-	Daron Payne	Joshua Frazier
DE	Jarran Reed	Dalvin Tomlinson	Da'Shawn Hand
SLB	Dillon Lee	Rashaan Evans	Christian Miller
MLB	Reggie Ragland	Shaun Dion Hamilson	Walker Jones or Adonis Thomas
WLB	Reuben Foster	Keith Holcombe	N/A
Jack	Denzel Devall	Ryan Anderson	Tim Anderson
CB	Marlon Humphrey	Tony Brown	Minkah Fitzpatrick
SS	Eddie Jackson	Ronnie Harrison	Shawn Burgess-Becker
FS	Geno Matias-Smith	Jabriel Washington	Hootie Jones
CB	Cyrus Jones	Bradley Sylve	Maurice Smith
Star	Minkah Fitzpatrick	Tony Brown	Maurice Smith
P	JK Scott	Alec Morris	N/A

Note: This story has been updated with Alabama's official Week 1 depth chart 

Led by its front seven, which returned nearly intact, Alabama’s defense hopes to draw comparison to the 2011 unit that led the nation in all four major statistical categories (total, scoring, rushing and pass-efficiency defense).

"That defensive line is a beast," Henry said. "You've got four or five big guys who dominate every play and give it their all every play, and that's all you can ask from the defensive line.”

Last season, Jarran Reed led the line with 55 tackles, which was the second most by a lineman during the Saban era (Wallace Gilberry in 2007). Thanks to a 15-tackle tally against LSU, which tied former middle linebacker Rolando McClain (vs. Auburn 2007 and Tulane 2008), for the most by an Alabama player under Saban, he edged out A’Shawn Robinson’s 49.

A preseason All-SEC selection, Robinson was once described by Senior Bowl director Phil Savage as a “man-child.” At the other end spot, Jonathan Allen has 49 career tackles with 14.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. An All-SEC selection by media last season, he’s already made 25 starts heading into his junior season. In 2014, he was second in team sacks with 5.5 and had seven hurries.

Meanwhile, Ragland might be the favorite for the Butkus Award after being a semifinalist last season.

“He's been one of our best playmakers on defense and been one of our most productive players,” Saban said of the unit’s anticipated leader—not just for the linebackers, but the entire defense.

Adding to Alabama’s optimism is that after having issues at cornerback during the past couple of seasons, not only does the Crimson Tide have quality starters there but depth.

Senior Cyrus Jones was named preseason All-SEC while Marlon Humphrey, Tony Brown and Minkah Fitzpatrick hope to start Alabama’s next wave of first-round draft picks among defensive backs similar to Mark Barron, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Kareem Jackson, Dre Kirkpatrick and Dee Milliner.

With coaches using converted cornerbacks Eddie Jackson and Geno Smith at safety, they figure to get a little more help on the edges as well. If so, Alabama should meet its targeted areas for improvement: turnovers, big plays and third-down defense.

Injury news

Player	Injury	Expected return
Raheem Falkins	Leg	Unknown
Bo Scarbrough	Knee	October
Cam Sims	Knee	Unknown

For the most part, Alabama emerged from training camp relatively unscathed in terms of major injuries.

Most notable were a toe injury that cost Coker three days during the heart of camp and a sprained knee to sophomore left tackle Cam Robinson.

“The injury wasn’t serious,” Robinson said. “It just scared me. It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Although coming out of the spring the biggest concern was the health and depth of the running backs, that changed during training camp to the wide receivers. Junior Chris Black (ankle) and sophomore Robert Foster (sprained knee) both suffered camp injuries, sophomore Cam Sims (ACL) has only recently started practicing and junior Raheem Falkins (leg) is still out.

At running back, senior Kenyan Drake was already coming off last season’s fractured leg and dislocated ankle only to be limited by a hamstring issue during camp. Freshman Bo Scarbrough is coming off a spring knee injury but will be out four games anyway while serving an eligibility suspension in September.

Otherwise, coaches have been cautious with the running backs to try to keep them as fresh as possible entering the season.

At cornerback, Brown (shoulder) and Humphrey (pulled muscle) have been playing through injuries, while offensive tackles Dominick Jackson (shoulder) and Korren Kirven (sprained knee) are expected to be out a few days this week.

X-factor

Alabama’s pack mentality with the defense goes far beyond the players who will be listed as starters, especially with the pass rush. The Crimson Tide have 14 players who were in on a sack in 2014 and all but one of them is back looking for more.

“We have a lot of guys who can contribute,” Ragland said.

While Devall, Ryan Anderson and versatile Dillon Lee figure to be Alabama’s primary outside linebackers, behind them is a bunch of young fast “quick-twitch” players, including sophomore Rashaan Evans, redshirt freshman Christian Miller and junior Tim Williams. All could be poised for a breakout season.

“They always go out there and are always doing 110 percent, flying around, doing everything they can,” Lee said about his talented understudies. “We have people breaking on the ball really fast and are disruptive.”

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Ragland believes Williams has the speed and size to top Xzavier Dickson’s nine sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss last season and maybe even lead the nation in sacks if he’s hungry enough.

Although fans shouldn’t expect Alabama to match the numbers that Saban’s teams posted at Michigan State (for example, the 1999 team notched 60 sacks and 119 tackles for a loss), getting more pressure on the quarterback has been a priority and reflected in the latest staff additions of defensive line coach Bo Davis, Tucker and Lupoi.

Before serving as an Alabama analyst last season Lupoi was at Washington, which ranked fourth nationally in sacks per game (3.15) in 2013. One of his former players, outside linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha, led college football with 19 sacks in 2014. 

“What he brings to pass rushing and disrupting the pocket is really unbelievable,” Lee said. “Always aggressive.” 

2015 schedule 

Make-or-break games

Date	Opponent	Location
Sept. 5	Wisconsin	Arlington, Texas
Sept. 12	Middle Tennessee	Tuscaloosa
Sept. 19	Ole Miss	Tuscaloosa
Sept. 26	Louisiana-Monroe	Tuscaloosa
Oct. 3	Georgia	Athens, Ga.
Oct. 10	Arkansas	Tuscaloosa
Oct. 17	Texas A&M	College State, Texas
Oct. 24	Tennessee	Tuscaloosa
Oct. 31	Bye
Nov. 7	LSU	Tuscaloosa
Nov. 14	Mississippi State	Starkville, Miss.
Nov. 21	Charleston Southern	Tuscaloosa
Nov. 28	Auburn	Auburn, Ala.

There are two necessary elements in order to have what’s called a “trap” game: an overlooked opponent aided by timing.

Alabama doesn’t have to worry about that this season because there really aren’t any opponents to overlook. The schedule is that difficult and widely called the toughest in college football.

Going by the preseason Associated Press Poll, the Crimson Tide are slated to face seven different teams that were in the Top 25, in addition to the top two vote-getters among teams not ranked, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Should they move up, Alabama could be looking at facing nine ranked teams plus potentially playing another in the SEC Championship Game.

Last year, Ohio State faced one ranked opponent during the regular season followed by three more at the end—in the Big Ten title game, the Sugar Bowl and the national championship. The total of four marked the fewest ranked teams a national champion had faced since Texas in 2005.

The record for most ranked opponents faced by a national champion is eight, LSU in 2007. So for Alabama to win the crown this season, it might have to accomplish something that’s never been done in the history of college football.

Nevertheless, Alabama’s schedule is so brutal that no one has to hear a player say they’re going to take it one game at a time because there’s really no other way to approach it.

Alabama opens in the marquee game of Week 1 against Wisconsin in the 2015 AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and two weeks later gets a rematch with the only team that defeated it during the 2014 regular season, Ole Miss.

Things get tougher in October when the Crimson Tide could face four straight ranked opponents: at Georgia, Arkansas, at Texas A&M and Tennessee. November features the usual onslaught of LSU, at Mississippi State (which Alabama knocked from No. 1 last year) and finally at Auburn, which could again determine the division title.

As Saban would say, “It is what it is,” but there’s no doubt that the Crimson Tide will be tested.

Prediction

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

If Alabama doesn’t have its toughest schedule in program history, it’s definitely on the short list. If it makes the SEC Championship Game, it will probably have played 10 teams that were ranked at some point.

Saban has only had one undefeated team, the 2009 national champions, and the turnover on offense paired with the uncertainly at quarterback makes another unlikely. Yet a strong defense and running game alone make Alabama a strong contender assuming it can avoid key injuries.

If Alabama can get through the regular season with just one loss, it’ll be a shoe-in for the playoffs. The guess here is that it’ll lose two but still represent the West Division in Atlanta, where a win would earn a spot in football’s version of the Final Four.

Overall record: 10-2

League record: 6-2

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.