Alabama Football: Early Offseason Priority List
Even though it’s been just over a week since the College Football Playoff came to an end, there’s been little if any downtime for the University of Alabama football program.
The players are the one exception. In addition to getting a break and some time to recover from the 2016 season, the spring semester is already starting up.
For everyone else, though, there’s been little or no rest for the weary.
In addition to coaches and staff workers coming and going, there’s analysis work to be done, plans to be made and recruits to be landed. That last item is especially important, as Alabama has to make up for lost time with some recruits, and national signing day is quickly approaching on Feb. 1.
That’ll be followed by the start of spring practices in March, with A-Day set for April 22. For now, though, the early offseason priority list follows...
Stability in the Administration
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When news broke out of Tucson, Arizona, that Greg Byrne was going to be named the new director of athletics at Alabama, the school announced Bill Battle’s looming retirement on Sunday night and his replacement Monday morning.
“It's been a distinct privilege and honor serving as director of athletics these last four years,” Battle said in a release.
Battle’s departure was not a surprise, as the 75-year-old’s contract was already set to expire on March 1. Hired in 2013 following the death of Mal Moore, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2014, and with the exception of a brief leave of absence last summer continued to work through his treatments.
While Battle was largely considered an in-Crimson Tide family move, as he was an Alabama football player (and the Bill Battle Academic Center was formally rededicated in 2005), Byrne is not. He had no previous ties to the school, although that’s worked out pretty well for its current football coach.
How those two will coexist is something to watch, especially since there’s a decent chance the 45-year-old Byrne will eventually hire Nick Saban’s replacement.
Ironically, the two are already indirectly linked. Byrne hired Rich Rodriguez at Arizona. Rodriguez, of course, turned down Alabama in December 2007, leaving the door open for Moore to snare Saban from the Miami Dolphins at the end of the NFL season.
Two things that Alabama fans will have to get used to: Byrne had the same job at Mississippi State (2008-10), where he was the youngest athletic director at the Division I level; and he tweets.
Stability in the Coaching Staff
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While the early promotion of Steve Sarkisian to offensive coordinator drew a lot of deserved attention a week before the national title game, he’ll now get a chance to settle into the job.
But that’s not the only change on the coaching staff, as Mike Locksley was promoted from analyst status on Monday.
“He is an outstanding offensive mind who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as both a head coach and offensive coordinator,” Saban said in a statement. “Mike is also one of the best recruiters in the nation and will be an excellent addition to our staff. His time as an analyst with us over the past season should also ensure a smooth transition and a full understanding of how our organization operates.”
Locksley’s specific job title hasn’t been determined, but he’s stepping in for Mario Cristobal, who is headed to Oregon to be the new co-offensive coordinator.
While the transition for both new coaches is expected to be smooth, as they were with the team for the entire 2016 season, Saban remains on the lookout for future hires just in case. For example, linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi reportedly turned down an opportunity to be Cal’s new defensive coordinator over the weekend, per Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman.
Saban hired four new coaches last year, the last of which after spring practices.
Finalize the Recruiting Class
3 of 7Alabama is in the hunt to have the nation’s top recruiting class—yes, again—and will look to close strong over its final weekends of official visits.
It lost a commitment over the weekend with Brandon Ruiz, the kicker who decided to stay home and attend Arizona State. However, his slot could be used to land one of Alabama’s top remaining targets, including DT Aubrey Solomon, DE LaBryan Ray, DE Jarez Parks or WR Devonta Smith.
Alabama already has an amazing 12 new players on campus, two as junior college transfers (T Elliot Baker and DE Isaiah Buggs).
The rest are early enrollees: LS Thomas Fletcher, RB Najee Harris, WR Jerry Jeudy, T Alex Leatherwood, CB Kyriq McDonald, OLB Dylan Moses, WR Tyrell Shavers, QB Tua Tagovailoa, TE Major Tennison and ATH Chadarius Townsend.
With Alabama’s class already including 25 names, it’s basically playing with house money while filling spots opened by transfers and other departures.
Bottom line: It could go from being considered a great class to a monster one.
Improve the Passing Game
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Although Jalen Hurts was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, improving the passing game will be a top priority of the offseason. Some of that should occur naturally as Hurts plays more, as expected of any player going into his second season.
Although Hurts has a new offensive coordinator, most of his supporting cast is expected to be the same. Alabama only has to replace three offensive starters (four if you include wide receiver Gehrig Dieter), with left tackle Cam Robinson, tight end O.J. Howard and wide receiver ArDarius Stewart all heading to the NFL.
With Hurts and Tagovailoa the only quarterbacks on the roster until committed recruit Mac Jones arrives over the summer, both will get a lot of extra attention over the spring. Although coaches will be looking for Tagovailoa to push Hurts from the start, the bigger goal will be for the offense to regain its confidence in the passing game.
Including the SEC Championship Game, Hurts only passed for 326 yards in three postseason games, and 131 against Clemson after Sarkisian was named offensive coordinator.
“I think we had some drops,” Saban said after the national title game:
"I think we had some tipped balls. I think there [were] things that we could have done better. But I thought the preparation was good. I thought the organization was good, and I thought we gave our players a chance in this game to have success. Was it challenging? Yes. Did everyone involved handle it extremely well? Absolutely.
"
Start Identifying New Leadership
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All it takes is a quick glance of the roster to realize that the Crimson Tide’s leadership has to be almost completely replaced. Granted, that’s pretty normal for Alabama, but who steps up will be a key factor in determining next season’s success.
In addition to the offensive starters who are moving on to the NFL, there’s also Jonathan Allen, Dalvin Tomlinson, Reuben Foster, Ryan Anderson, Tim Williams and Eddie Jackson. Plus, cornerback Marlon Humphrey left after his redshirt sophomore season.
Alabama has someone ready to plug in at nearly every spot, but each has something to prove both individually and in how he influences the players around him. That buy-in, as Saban likes to call it, is one of the first steps toward forming the identity of next year’s team.
Some of the key players to watch in that respect are Bradley Bozeman, Rashaan Evans, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Da’Shawn Hand, Damien Harris, Hurts, Da’Ron Payne, Ross Pierschbacher and Calvin Ridley.
Find the Right Motivation
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"Get mad, then get over it" will probably be the motto for the offseason, as Alabama will have to overcome the stigma of being one second away from winning the national championship.
The way it lost to Clemson, 35-31, even made Stewart think twice about leaving early for the NFL.
“I really wanted to win that game,” he said.
Instead, look for the loss to be used as inspiration for the 2017 season. Playing with a chip on its shoulder doesn’t guarantee the team success but can help make up for other deficiencies.
“I told them to just keep their head up, that I love them all and to keep that same mentality, the same fight and the same heart that they had while I was in that room,” Stewart said about his farewell message to the other wide receivers. “I passed it down to Calvin and those other guys, Cam [Sims], [Trevon] Diggs and all the young guys in there.
“But I have faith in those guys, and I believe they’re going to keep it going.”
Start Preparing for 2017
7 of 7It’s called the “Fourth Quarter” conditioning program, and after Alabama gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter to Clemson, strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran isn’t expected to hold anything back.
Then again, he never does.
Cochran, the man who jumps up and down while holding up four fingers throughout the entire fourth quarter of every game, is considered Alabama’s motivational leader. Consequently, he’s paid more than some of the Crimson Tide assistant coaches.
Players describe the annual conditioning program in February as being so challenging that they can’t wait to start spring practices in March. But Cochran also brings the same intensity to the weight room every morning.
"He's not a joke,” freshman linebacker Shawn Jennings said. “You gotta be mentally tough when you go in there with him. He's gonna work you. He's gonna work you more than you've ever thought about being worked. He's gonna push you, push you hard, push you very hard.
“But you gotta be mentally tough."
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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