The greatest strengths of the Alabama football squad in 2024

admin | February 12, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

While Alabama Football enters a retooling time following the departures through the portal and to the NFL, the club returns with one of the most talented rosters in college football.

The squad will undoubtedly face some tough camp battles to fill positions such as edge rusher, cornerback, wide receiver, and offensive tackle, but other positions are set in stone.

The coaching staff will need to review a couple positions heading into the spring to determine whether or not to use the spring transfer portal window, but the squad is pretty much set. It will be difficult for the team to find an OT or a cornerback who is more talented than those on the roster, so Kalen DeBoer may simply stand pat and deal with what he has.

Alabama Football: Pre-Season Polls will offer an interesting perspective.

The Associated Press’s inaugural ranking of the Alabama Crimson Tide will provide us with an early indication of how this team is viewed nationwide. The squad returns enough quality to be ranked in the top five, but with so much turnover, the ranking might be surprisingly high or low. Preseason polls normally carry little weight, but with a new era beginning, it will be intriguing to see where this group ranks.

5. Punter

While the Alabama Football team has lost Will Reichard, the greatest kicker in school history, they will gain James Burnip as a special team weapon. Burnip improved dramatically from 2022 to 2023. In 2023, he punted 57 times for an average of 47.5 yards per punt and a long of 67 yards. The Australian improved his consistency in 2023, landing 8.77% of his punts inside the 20, up from 2.27% in 2022.

Bringing back a punter as competent and seasoned as Burnip is underappreciated yet extremely necessary. In the Rose Bowl, James Burnip and good special teams almost beat Michigan when the Wolverines botched one punt and nearly took a safety on the other, but Alabama lost the game. We’d all prefer it if Burnip didn’t have to punt at all in 2024, but whatever he does, we’ll be confident in his skill.

4. Tight End

While Ryan Williams is the focus of this year’s signing class, and properly so, Caleb Odom could be the best weapon signed. The group returns starter tight end CJ Dippre, who caught 11 receptions for 187 yards and will undoubtedly be more engaged in the offense early on as younger wide outs find their rhythm. The group will also welcome back Robbie Ouzts, who caught three passes for 33 yards in 2023. Dippre and Ouzts, on the other hand, add outstanding blocking abilities to the offense, giving it an advantage in the rushing attack.

Caleb Odom, like Amari Niblack, will be a valuable addition to Alabama’s football squad. Odom has a unique blend of size and quickness at 6’5 215 pounds. Odom will play in a style similar to OJ Howard while being a bigger version of Irv Smith Jr. Odom could make his way onto the field in his freshman season, providing Alabama Football another weapon for Jalen Milroe.

3. Running back

Despite losing Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams, the Alabama football team will remain as powerful as ever at running back. Jam Miller and Justice Haynes will provide some experience to the bunch, but they also have a bigger upside than McClellan and Williams. Jam Miller finished the 2023 season as the third running back in the rotation, carrying for 201 yards and one touchdown. Haynes spent most of the season in mop-up duty, but he did earn some playing time in the Rose Bowl, finishing with 168 yards and two touchdowns.

The running back room will be younger than it has been in several years, with excellent underclassmen leading the way. As a true sophomore, Justice Haynes is likely to lead the club with as much talent as any back we’ve seen in previous seasons. Richard Young redshirted last season, but his talent and experience will put him in contention for significant playing time this season.

Tuscaloosa native Kevin Riley and four-star running back Daniel Hill are two excellent freshmen who will compete for playing time with the returning players.

2. Inside Linebacker

Alabama’s inside linebacker core is among the best in the country. Deontae Lawson returns after two seasons of substantial playing time and will be the preseason favorite for the Butkus Award. Lawson had 67 tackles and three sacks in 2023 despite losing time due to injury. Jihaad Campbell saw more playing time down the stretch and may be on track for the best breakout season among returning players. Campbell has 66 tackles, half a sack, two fumble recoveries, an interception, and one score in 2023.

Lawson and Campbell will be given a lot of responsibility in Kane Wommack’s 4-2-5 defense, albeit their duties will be slightly different than they were in Kevin Steele’s. Trezmen Marshall was drafted, and role players Kendrick Blackshire, Ian Jackson, and Shawn Murphy joined the transfer portal, reducing the group’s depth.

The 2024 signing class includes Justin Okoronkwo, QB Reese, and Cayden Jones, who will help replenish the depth lost through the transfer portal.

1. Interior Offensive Line

The interior offensive line will be Alabama Football’s strongest returning group. The return of Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts gives Alabama one of the best guard combinations in the country. With Seth McLaughlin going to Ohio State, the only position on the roster to change will be center. Alabama Football has replaced McLaughlin with Parker Brailsford, one of the country’s top centers. Brailsford was a member of Kalen DeBoer’s team at Washington, where he was rated as one of the top centers despite being “undersized”.

Brailsford was named first-team All-Freshman at Center, second-team All-Pac 12, and the portal’s finest interior offensive line transfer. PFF graded Brailsford’s pass-blocking at 82.6 and his run-blocking at 80.8. In 612 pass-blocking snaps at Washington, Brailsford allowed only one sack. Brailsford will be a valuable boost to a team that allowed 49 sacks in 2023.

In 2023, the offense’s productivity will be heavily reliant on its powerful interior offensive line. The group is loaded with maulers in the running game, which should lead to explosive plays for the running backs. With two new starting offensive tackles, the club will need solid play from the interior as the tackles adjust