Position-by-Position Preview of Alabama's 2016 Roster
Although the University of Alabama football team is coming off its fourth national championship in seven years, something that’s never been previously done before during the modern era of the game, Nick Saban’s dynasty is showing no signs of slowing down.
After claiming his sixth straight recruiting title, per the 247Sports composite rankings, the Crimson Tide roster remains loaded, and even though Alabama has another brutal schedule in 2016, many are again considering it the team to beat even though no one knows yet who the starting quarterback will be.
Actually, there’s no proven player in the backfield, the offensive line is now suddenly a mess, and the entire defensive coaching staff minus Tosh Lupoi has been replaced, but many are predicting a third straight appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Part of that optimism stems from what Alabama’s done over the previous nine seasons, including having the most consensus All-Americans (25), NFL draft picks (55) and first-round selections (18) of any college football program.
What can Saban do for an encore as he closes out a decade at Alabama? This group hasn’t done anything yet and has a tough opener against Southern California at A&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on September 3, but it has the talent to potentially win some more rings.
Quarterbacks
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For the third straight year, Alabama will be going into training camp without having a starting quarterback in place, but the competition appears to be more wide-open this time.
The two previous camps, there was a senior who had been in the system for a while who had to be beaten out and wasn’t, although in both cases, Blake Sims and Jake Coker didn’t win the job until the regular season started.
This time, the closest thing to an incumbent is junior Cooper Bateman, who will try to hold off sophomore David Cornwell, redshirt freshman Blake Barnett and true freshman Jalen Hurts.
No one really separated himself during Alabama’s spring game, when the numbers may have been more reflective of the defenses being faced than anything.
Bateman (9-of-24, 86 yards and one interception) started for the first-team offense ahead of Cornwell (5-of-13, 50). Barnett (9-of-16, 112) and Hurts (11-of-15,120) did better against weaker competition with the second team but were both sacked 11 times.
The final score ended up being 7-3.
“The young quarterbacks did a nice job in making some plays,” Saban said. “I thought their consistency that they played with was actually a lot better than the actual first team. Just creates more competition and more things for us to evaluate.”
Running Backs
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If there’s a weakness that opponents might exploit as the season progresses, it’s the lack of experience and depth at running back. With sophomore Ronnie Clark suffering an Achilles injury during the spring, the depth chart has two sophomores and two incoming true freshmen—that’s it.
Really for the first time since Saban’s first year with the Crimson Tide in 2007, there’s no proven presence in the backfield, which is a big reason why Alabama has had a 1,000-yard rusher in six of those nine seasons (and the team leader had 990 in 2014).
Ideally, Alabama will have two running backs handle the majority of the workload—Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris, who between them have just 261 career rushing yards. B.J. Emmons and Joshua Jacobs will start competing the moment they arrive on campus to be next up, but both can plan on playing this season.
Harris has the most experience and was named A-Day’s offensive MVP after having 114 rushing yards on 20 carries but played with the second-team offense. Scarbrough was with the first-team offense and posted some big numbers in the other spring scrimmages.
Wide Receivers
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On paper at least, the position group with the most depth on the Alabama roster this season is wide receiver, which is a little ironic in that the numbers there had been down during the past couple of years.
In addition to the two primary starters at the beginning of 2015, Alabama has two 1,000-yard receivers as well, including last year’s go-to man, Calvin Ridley. When Robert Foster was lost for the season with a shoulder injury suffered against Ole Miss, he stepped in and developed a real chemistry with Coker.
Ridley ended up leading the team with 89 receptions for 1,045 yards and seven touchdowns as a true freshman, while ArDarius Stewart was second with 63 catches for 700 yards and four touchdowns. Foster only had 10 receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns in three games played but was back running routes while wearing a no-contact jersey in the spring.
The real wild card for Alabama is graduate transfer Gehrig Dieter. Last season, he led Bowling Green with 94 catches for 1,044 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Where he fits into the depth chart is anyone’s guess, but rotation spots will be at a premium. After having knee surgery two years ago, junior Cam Sims looks like’s he’s ready to make a bigger contribution, sophomore Derek Kief had a good spring, and sophomore Daylon Charlot figures to challenge for more playing time as well.
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Tight Ends
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Anyone overlooking Alabama’s tight ends this season is making a big mistake—and not just because O.J. Howard returned for his senior year.
There’s more to this unit, which will have Mario Cristobal as a position coach for the first time.
Very quietly, Hale Hentges played in all 15 games last season and even made two starts as a true freshman. He had three receptions on A-Day while playing for the first-team offense, while early enrollee Miller Forristall was the surprise of the scrimmage by leading all receivers with eight catches for 53 yards with the second-team offense.
"Hale is advanced,” Brandon Greene said. “He really learns really fast, catches on really fast. Sometimes I find him teaching me stuff in the passing game, him and O.J.
“Miller is coming along man, he's learning fast, too. He's another one.”
Greene, who can also play tackle and is a mainstay in short-yardage situations, could be in the mix more as well. The 6’5” senior got his weight down to 300 pounds (from 307) during the spring and worked on improving his passing game, although Howard will obviously be the unit’s biggest receiving threat.
He finished last season with 38 catches for 602 yards and was huge in the College Football Playoff, including five catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the CFP National Championship.
“Looking back on it, I had a great game, but I’ve put that behind me,” Howard said. “In the future, let’s try to work and improve and get better.”
Offensive Line
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With the benefit of hindsight, Alabama being without Cam Robinson in the spring might have worked out for the best as the left tackle’s status is now a giant question mark.
Robinson, who was held out of all contact situations during practices while recovering from shoulder surgery, was recently arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, illegal possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen gun, which is a felony.
Senior Korren Kirven was at left tackle with the first-team offense during A-Day, while true freshman Jonah Williams was at right tackle. The program had hoped that junior college transfer Charles Baldwin would challenge for the right tackle job, but he struggled during the spring and was dismissed from the team at the end of the semester.
Regardless, coaches do have other options should the 20-year-old Robinson, who was expected to contend for the Outland Trophy as college football’s best interior lineman, not suit up again for a while.
Junior Ross Pierschbacher moved from left guard to center during the spring and could be a long-term replacement for three-year starter Ryan Kelly. Sophomore Lester Cotton was at left guard on A-Day, but like Pierschbacher, he could also play tackle.
“His knowledge of his game has grown a lot,” Pierschbacher said about Cotton. “Just playing the offensive line at a collegiate level, it’s a big step, and it takes some guys longer than others. A guy like Lester has all the talent in the world, and he’s going to have a very bright future here.”
At right guard, Alphonse Taylor was demoted to the second-team offense during the spring, and Saban made it clear that he’ll stay there unless his conditioning improves over the summer.
Among the reserves to keep an eye on, include Bradley Bozeman, who spent part of the spring at tackle, and guards Dallas Warmack and Brandon Kennedy.
Defensive Line
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After enjoying some incredible depth on the defensive line last season, Alabama is looking for the next wave of players to step up, including Da’Ron Payne, Da’Shawn Hand and Dalvin Tomlinson.
They—along with senior defensive end Jonathan Allen, who led the Crimson Tide in tackles for loss last season with 14.5, including 12 sacks—are expected to form the heart of the unit.
“I was pretty excited, because I know he is a good pass-rusher, and we could always use a good pass-rusher,” Tomlinson said about Allen’s decision to return this season. “I feel like he was pretty close [to declaring], but I think he wanted to stay and graduate for his family.”
Allen also needed to have surgery to fix an ongoing shoulder issue, which he underwent in January, and subsequently missed the spring. Joining him as a regular pass-rusher could be Hand, while Payne played in 15 games and made three starts as a freshman nose guard last season.
Among those vying for more playing time are Josh Frazier and O.J. Smith, while Dakota Ball is back at defensive tackle after helping out at tight end the past two seasons.
Among the newcomers are line coach Karl Dunbar, a longtime NFL assistant who joined the Crimson Tide in May, and junior college transfer Jamar King.
Linebackers
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While Alabama might have the most depth at wide receiver, linebacker is where it features the most talent.
It begins in the middle with Reuben Foster, who could be the Crimson Tide’s next great interior linebacker following in the footsteps of Rolando McClain, Dont’a Hightower, C.J. Mosley and Reggie Ragland.
“He’s Reuben,” senior outside linebacker Ryan Anderson said. “He’s a leader. Everybody respects him. When he says something, everybody listens. It shouldn’t be that much of a drop-off. It will be good.”
Anderson’s the other leader of the linebacker corps, although he’s as much of a lineman as a linebacker while playing Saban’s hybrid position he calls “Jack.” He could be Alabama’s best player at the position since Courtney Upshaw.
At the other outside linebacker spot is Tim Williams, who is trying to make the jump from pass-rushing specialist to every-down player. In his part-time role last season, Williams had just 19 tackles in 15 games, but 12.5 were for loss, including 10.5 sacks.
They could make up a monster pass-rushing tandem, especially when aided by Allen and Rashaan Evans, who moved from outside to inside linebacker during the spring and played behind Shaun Dion Hamilton.
As for the reserves, Keith Holcombe stepped up to the second unit, while outside linebackers Christian Miller and Anfernee Jennings look ready to make significant contributions. Alabama also added two prize prospects in the recruiting class of 2016, Ben Davis and Lyndell “Mack” Wilson.
Defensive Backs
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After years of juggling players in the secondary, including moving two cornerbacks to start at safety last year, Alabama’s moves this past offseason were nowhere near as dramatic.
With Marlon Humphrey having pinned down a starting cornerback spot last season (45 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and eight pass breakups), sophomore Minkah Fitzpatrick slid over from the nickel position to replace Cyrus Jones.
Similarly, sophomore Ronnie Harrison, who was the dime as a freshman, stepped in for Geno-Matias Smith at free safety.
“I like the attitude that the players have,” Saban said about this group of defensive backs. “I like the work ethic.”
After them, though, is where the questions rest with the unit.
Tony Brown, who was sent home from the Cotton Bowl for violating team rules, is facing a suspension for a separate issue at the start of the season. He’s moved back to cornerback after switching to safety last season.
Because of Brown’s uncertain status, senior Maurice Smith was moved to safety to help out when Eddie Jackson was limited during the spring while coming off a leg injury. Jackson, who made six interceptions in 2015, inherits the leadership role of the unit.
The reserves include Anthony Averett, Shawn Burgess-Becker, Hootie Jones (who was arrested with Robinson), Kendall Sheffield and Deionte Thompson, in addition to another talented group of incoming freshmen.
Special Teams
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Consistency is the key for the Crimson Tide, as kicker Adam Griffith and punter JK Scott both got off to a slow start in 2015, and long snapper Cole Mazza missed two games.
After missing his first four field-goal attempts, Griffith made 23 of 32 last season, including a career-long 55-yard field goal against LSU. He was perfect on extra points, making all 62 attempts, had 56 touchbacks on kickoffs and had the legendary onside kick in the CFP National Championship that was caught by Humphrey.
Nevertheless, Alabama has added former Ole Miss kicker Andy Pappanastos, a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining, to provide some competition.
At punter, Scott went from leading the nation in 2014 by averaging 48.0 yards per punt, along with net yards per punt (44.67) and percentage of punts downed inside the 20-yard line (32 of 55, 56.4), to 44.2 as a sophomore.
He improved as the season progressed, but Scott called it just "OK" by his standards.
"I'm always trying to improve and just didn't do as well as my freshman year in the first part," he said.
Alabama will need to establish new return specialists in 2016, with Ridley, Stewart and speedy Xavian Marks the front-runners heading into training camp.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.
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