The Alabama A-Day game was slightly tainted due to pretty heavy rain in Tuscaloosa. Passing was at a premium, and Bryce Young wasn’t super, but Jalen Milroe, the presumptive backup, was stellar at times. Bryce is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, and he should be fine in the fall, but Alabama fans had to be encouraged by Milroe’s performance in case Young sustains an injury and for the prospects of 2023.

Young put together a stellar 2021 campaign completing 366-of-547 passes for 4,872 yards, 47 TDs against 7 ints. He, Jameson Williams, John Metchie, Brian Robinson and the great Will Anderson Jr, more on him in a minute, put the Crimson Tide on their collective backs and carried the team all the way to the national championship game against Georgia, where they fell to a hungry Dawgs team, 33-18, though Williams was injured after a long catch and run in the second quarter. His presence could have changed the outcome of the game.

The conditions were very wet on A Day, and Young is a proven commodity, so once he gets cranking in fall workouts and the offensive line, which did get eaten up by Anderson Jr., Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell among others in the spring game, is a full go with some injured players back in the fall, Young’s results should be a lot better. He’ll have some new skilled players to work with as B-Rob, Metchie and Williams are all going to the NFL. As far as the draft goes, which starts Thursday at 7 PM CT on ESPN, big left tackle Evan Neal is expected to go in the top 3 picks, with No.1 a real possibility to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Williams is a first rounder, Metchie could be late first round, early 2nd, and B-Rob an early second rounder. All should be excellent NFL players. Guys like Phidarian Mathism who really came on strong last year with 10 1/2 TFLs and 9 sacks, and Daniel Wright along with Jalyn Armour-Davis, should hear their names called. Phid Mathis could be an early second rounder if not sooner.

So now you have a new running back rotation with Georgia Tech transfer and former 95, 4 star Jahmyr Gibbs leading the way. Gibbs looks terrific. He rushed for 100 yards in the spring game including a 75 yard house call. He looks superb. Trey Sanders was his primary backup as Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams are recovering from injuries, so the running back room should be in pretty good shape come the fall once McClellan and Williams return. Outside at wide receiver, Christian Leary was impressive in the spring game. He caught 5 passes for 106 yards and a TD, a 52 yard beautiful throw from Milroe. Milroe was 11-of-23 for 149 yards, the TD to Leary and 44 yards rushing. He showed flashes of brilliance. If he can become a consistent passer, the sky’s the limit. Jermaine Burton, the transfer wide receiver from Georgia, should make an immediate impact. He’s got the speed and the hands, to be a Metchie/Williams combo type receiver. Ja’Corey Brooks didn’t play in the spring game, but caught 15 passes for 192 yards and 2 TDs in 2021, including the huge 25 yarder from Young @Auburn that tied the game up late and allowed the Crimson Tide to pull off what looked like an improbable victory on the road against its archival. JoJo Earle had a few drops in the spring game, but like Leary and Brooks, was a 97, 4 star. Leary was 95 and Brooks was a 98, 5 star. Guys like Traeshon Holden, Thaiu Jones-Bell, and two, 96 4 star freshmen, Shazz Preston and Kendrick Law, and 5 star Aaron Anderson will add even more depth and talent at wide receiver. So the cupboard isn’t bare at the skilled positions. Cameron Late is back at tight end, and he’s a big play player for the Crimson Tide. Could be a very valuable part of the offense. Young likes going to him a lot. Sort of a security piece for Young and the offense. He’s an important player this upcoming season. Robbie Ouzts and graduate Kendall Randolph are listed as the backups.

The offensive line has a lot of pieces, and were missing 2 key guys in the spring, but at the moment, looks like a work in progress. Strength Coach David Ballou will be working with them until August and throughout the season and first year offensive line coach Eric Wolford will try to develop them into a cohesive, dominant unit, which you have to have in the SEC. I’m looking for massive sophomore J.C. Latham to have an All-SEC, All-American type year. He’s 6’6”, 326 and was a 5 star in the 2021 class. He should be a dominant player. Across the board you have left guard Javion Cohen (Jr. 6’4”, 305), center Seth McLaughlin (Sophomore, 6’4”, 295), right guard and the veteran and leader of the line, Emil Ekiyor (redshirt senior, 6’3”, 307) and right tackle Damieon George Jr. ( Jr. 6’6”, 333). So, as Theodopolis likes, there is some serious “size” at the tackle positions. McLaughlin needs to get bigger. Tyler Steen, a four star transfer from Vanderbilt, who is 6’5”, 317, will be a piece in the puzzle. The Brockmeyer twins from Fort Worth, Tommy, a 6’5”, 304 5 star, who is a sophomore, and James, a 6’3”, 282, and s 92 4 star, should add depth and may challenge for starting jobs before it’s all said and done. Tommy is a left tackle and James plays center. Darrian Dalcourt, a senior who is 6’3”, 305, is a piece that could be a big contributor. There are others. S has recruited well on the line like everywhere else, so there are 12 to 15 guys who can contribute in 2022.

On defense, it’s about Will Anderson Jr. and his comrades on the edge. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien has been around the block and coached a lot of great football players. He coached Tom Brady and the New England Patriots as offensive coordinator, he was head coach at Penn State and he was head coach of the Houston Texans. He said Anderson Jr. is the best football player he’s ever seen. The 6’4”, 243 pound rising junior tallied 31 tackles for loss and 17 1/2 sacks, both of which led the country. He should have been in New York for the Heisman Trophy and he might win it this year. He dominated once again in the spring game with 2 sacks in the first half, and didn’t play any in the second half. He’s unblockable. You add the great Dallas Turner, who had 3 sacks in the spring game was the most valuable defensive player, and posted 10 TFLs and 8 sacks last season, and Chris Braswell, and you’ve got a sacking force. Braswell also took down the quarterback twice in the spring game. S wants to use all 3 at the same time this coming season. Good luck with that opposing offensive line coaches and coordinators. These guys are unstoppable. Braswell and Turner were both 5 stars in the 2021 class and play like it. They’ along with Anderson Jr. will terrorize opposing quarterbacks in the fall. Another guy I liked a lot in the spring game was 6’3”, 309 defensive tackle Jamil Burroughs. He had a couple of sacks in the spring game and looks like he’ll be a force playing with 6’3”, 300 pound senior D.J. Dale. Senior bookends Justin Eboigbe (6’5”, 292) and Byron Young (6’3”, 292) are looking for breakout seasons. Inside linebacker and a guy who should be a leader on the team, Henry To’o To’o (6’2”, 228), will return for his senior season. To’o To’o led the defense in tackles with 111, added 7 1/2 TFLs and 4 sacks. He’s an extremely valuable piece in the middle of the defense and will be calling the signals. Anderson Jr. also amassed 101 tackles last season just for good measure. What a player. Jaylen Moody, a redhshirt senior and 6’2”, 225, looked excellent in the spring game and is poised for a breakout year as well in 2022. In the secondary, S got stellar junior transfer Eli Ricks from LSU to play one corner. Kook Aid-McKinstry, the 5 star in 2021, is set to play the other. DeMarcco Hellams is back at free safety and looks to be a leader back there with Ricks and the great Jordan Battle. Bsttle and Hellams both had 3 picks in 2021, and Battle has been one of the elite Tide defensive players since he’s been in Tuscaloosa. He just has a propensity to make big plays and make pick six’s at the most clutch times in games. Brain Branch will play the Star and Malachi Moore will back him up. Battle and Hellams are seniors and McKinstry is a sophomore. Branch and Moore are juniors. Kristian Story, who backs up Battle at strong safety, had an interception in the spring game and looks like a stellar player. Khyree Jackson, a senior transfer from East Mississippi Community College, is another capable player backing up Kool-Aid at corner.

There is excellent talent and excellent depth on this defense. Pete Golding has got to love what he’s working with. Golding just needs to get a driver if he’s going to have a couple of nightcaps after games so he’ll be coaching and not doing community service or serving a weekend in the slammer.

The outstanding Will Reichard is back to kick. S solved his kicking problems when he signed Reichard. He’s a senior. Jack Martin, a senior, is backing him up. Martin and Reichard both kicked well in the A-Day game. James Burnip is the punter and averaged 39 yards on punts last season. Reichard was 22-of-28 on field goals last season. He was 5-of-5 from 20-29 yards, 9-of-10 from 30-39 yards, 7-of-11 from 40-49 yards, and 1-of-2 from 50 or longer with his long being 51. He didn’t have to kick a ton because of Young and the offense. Earle is listed as the punt returner. And kick returner is to be determined. Maybe Gibbs, Earle even Burton with his electric speed.

Schedule

The Tide opens with Utah State on Saturday, Sept. 3rd in T-town, then take a trip to Austin to face Sark and the Longhorns on Saturday, Sept. 10th. Texas will try to prove they belong in the Southeastern Conference eventually, but they’ll have a tall order. Then Saturday, Sept. 17th Louisiana-Monroe comes to Tuscaloosa. Saturday, Sept. 24th, Vandy comes to town. Could be a long afternoon for my Commodores. They should be improved, but not enough to hang with the Crimson Tide. Saturday, Oct. 1, the Tide is @ Arkansas for a road test. Sam Pittman has recruited well and will have a solid team, so a challenge there as well like Austin. Then Jimbo Fisher and his highly touted freshman class at Texas A&M comes to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Oct.8th. There are no announced TV times, but I can guarantee that’ll be a 2:30 PM CT on CBS. While Fisher had the number one recruiting class in the country in 2022, they are freshmen, and it takes a “minute” for those guys to get acclimated to the college game. Alabama struggled with that a little last season. Fisher has recruited well and defeated Bama last season in a remarkable performance by now Auburn Tiger Zach Calzada at quarterback, so this one is circled by Saban and the team. Then the Tide has another challenge @Tennesee on Saturday, October 15. Josh Heupel should have a good returning team in 2022, so that should be formidable. Then it’s Mississippi State at home on Saturday, October 22. That’ll be homecoming. That’s kind of a tough opponent on homecoming, but I just don’t know if Leach can get it done. He might be too pass happy for the SEC. This is a big year for him. The team is off Oct. 29. Then on Nov. 5, it’s@ Brian Kelly and LSU. Very interesting to see if Kelly has any more ability against Saban on the Bayou. He’ll have more talent to work with, but it’s another tall order for a new SEC coach. Kelly seems a little soft to me, and not a great fit in Baton Rouge. So, we’ll see. At Ole Miss on Saturday, Nov.12 is formidable as well. Lane will pull out all the tricks against S and the Tide, so big game in mid November. Austin Peay comes to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Nov. 19th and Auburn comes to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Nov. 26. I’ll have my Auburn preview at the end of this week or Monday of next week with a more in depth look at the Tigers. Wild offseason down on the Plains. Maybe Bryan Harsin can survive and do well. That should be a 2:30 PM CBS game as always. The SEC Championship Game is Saturday, Dec. 3rd at Mercedes- Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The usual time is 3 PM CT on CBS.

So, the Crimson Tide looks to be a favorite in the SEC along with Georgia. Can Georgia maintain success after a tremendous season in 2021? That’ll be a major question. They’ll be loaded with talent as Kirby Smart has recruited at a high level. The Crimson Tide has challenges in their schedule, and Georgia is the favorite in the East with Florida having a new coach in Billy Napier, whom I expect to do well in the future. But South Carolina is better and Kentucky has been very good for a while now under Mark Stoops. Nationally, the Crimson Tide could see the likes of Ohio State, which is loaded. Penn State, which has a good team. USC under Lincoln Riley should be much improved. Clemson may be better, but they have hit the skids a little lately. Oklahoma has a new coach in Brent Venables, the long time defensive coordinator from Clemson. So another compelling 2022 season in college football and for the Crimson Tide. I expect them to be firmly in the thick of things come November and playing once again for a playoff spot and another National Championship shot under Coach Saban.

****Will have Auburn report Thursday or Monday. Have a great week.*****