Alabama football: 10 burning questions as the Crimson Tide head into the offseason
The 11-2 record that would be celebrated at nearly every college football outpost is in the Alabama football history books, locked, sealed and stored away, with stories about it to be told another day.
The Sugar Bowl confetti that was nice and all, but not the confetti Bama’s players wanted to fall on them, has been swept up from the Superdome carpet.
College football’s new-age, turbocharged turnstile that is the transfer portal has slowed since the window began on Dec. 5 — for now, at least.
And the headlines from last month’s Early Signing Period have been printed, with Nick Saban landing 7 5-star recruits in another heralded recruiting class in a seemingly endless line of them in Tuscaloosa.
In other words, Alabama’s roller-coaster ride of a fall has finally ended, all the participants have left the carnival and everyone has gone home — until spring practice starts in a few months, at least.
The new season isn’t here yet, but the new year is. And because the calendar has flipped to 2023, fanatical college football fan bases like the ones in the SEC — like the rabid one in Tuscaloosa — are already speculating about every little nuance that will make or break the ’23 season.
The 1st game of next season might still be about 8 months away. But it’s never too early to start brainstorming about the litany of questions that the Tide will need to answer to get themselves back into the College Football Playoff.
The typical ultra-concerned, ultra-loyal and maybe ultra-paranoid Alabama fan could probably come up with about 30 burning questions that Alabama will carry into its offseason. But we’ll narrow it down to the 10 biggest questions facing the Crimson Tide during these excruciatingly long offseason months between the bowl game and the start of fall camp.
1. Is the next Tide star QB on this roster?
You just knew we were going to start here, right? Well, 1 thing we do know for sure is that there will be no Bryce Young to rescue the Tide in 2023. He’ll be playing on Sundays for the Houston Texans or some other fortunate team. So no matter who ultimately wins the quarterback job coming out of fall camp, Tide fans are going to have to show a little patience (if that’s possible) because whoever it is won’t be the legendary Young, at least not right away.
Right now, we know so little about how it’ll all shake out. We know who Jalen Milroe is, after the sophomore-to-be spelled Young when he hurt his shoulder in October. Milroe is a nightmare for defenses to tackle, and he has moxie and guts, but he’s unpolished as a passer — right now, at least. Sophomore-to-be Ty Simpson threw all of 5 passes last season. But he was a 5-star phenom and 1 of the top overall recruits in the country in the 2022 cycle, so you’d have to think the potential for greatness is bubbling and waiting to explode, if given the chance.
But what about the greatness that could be born if either of Saban’s 4-star QB recruits should happen to win the job? There will be a healthy level of mystery surrounding Eli Holstein and Dylan Lonergan, especially during an offseason when there is no Young entrenched as the starter and there will likely be a wide-open quarterback competition waiting to take place. So, yeah, just knowing the raw talent that Milroe, Simpson, Holstein and Lonergan possess, it would be a pretty safe guess that the next Alabama star QB is in fact on the 2023 roster — we just don’t know which 1 of the 4 it is yet, or when that star will be born.
2. Who will be the new leader of the defense?
We go from the quest to replace Young with the quest to replace Will Anderson Jr., 1 of the best linebackers in school history and 1 of the best defensive players in Tide history. But more than just being all-world with his play, Anderson was also the leader of the defense the past few seasons. But like Young, Anderson will be 1 of the top picks in this spring’s NFL Draft, and unfortunately for Bama, he isn’t the only defensive leader the Crimson Tide will need to replace. Also gone are senior stalwarts Jordan Battle, Henry To’oTo’o and Byron Young.
That’s a ton of talent, a ton of savvy and, yes, a ton of leadership to replace on just 1 defense, in just 1 offseason. The truth is, the Tide will need multiple new leaders to emerge through the offseason cycle. But who will be the next Anderson, the next Alpha Dog of the Alabama defense, when the ball is kicked off in Week 1 this fall? There could be many answers by the time we get to that point. But right now, knowing what we know, we’ll go with junior-to-be linebacker Dallas Turner, who has combined for 67 tackles and 12.5 sacks the past 2 seasons.
Turner showed a glimpse of how he can meet the moment with his fumble return for a touchdown in the 4th quarter of the Tennessee game. It would’ve been the game-winning score had the Volunteers not rallied late. Turner is hardly the lone possible answer to this question about the Tide’s next leader on defense. But in early January, where we sit at this moment, he seems like the very best 1.
3. Can Jase McClellan finally become Bama’s backfield horse?
It has been a long road in Tuscaloosa for the senior-to-be from Aledo, Texas. McClellan showed real promise as a freshman, rushing for 245 yards and averaging 10.7 yards per carry. Then his sophomore season, when he was being counted on as the primary backup to Brian Robinson, was cut short in early October when a knee injury shelved him for the season. McClellan was 2nd on the team with 5 total touchdowns before the injury, which he returned from in 2022 to post 655 yards rushing and 7 TDs along with 3 receiving touchdowns.
This past season, McClellan was a consistent backfield wingman to transfer Jahmyr Gibbs, who arrived from Georgia Tech and set the world on fire this fall with a team-leading 926 yards rushing and 444 yards receiving on a team-leading 44 catches. With Gibbs being a 1-and-done (at Alabama, at least) and heading off to the NFL Draft, it appears to be set up perfectly for McClellan to finally be The Guy in the backfield next fall. We’re talking about a resilient young man who returned from an ACL injury in 2021 to have a pretty solid 2022 while watching Gibbs be The Guy instead of him.
So we definitely know from the past few years that McClellan has boatloads of patience and a ton of staying power, because after everything he has been through, he’s still around. He’s hard to tackle on the field and hard to drive away from Tuscaloosa, and that might be crucial in 2023 because Alabama is going to have a new, inexperienced starting quarterback who isn’t named Bryce Young. So the Tide are going to have to lean on other areas, like running back and, most likely, McClellan.
4. What’s going to happen at tight end?
This is a really tricky one. After a stellar junior season in which he set the Alabama record for TD catches by a tight end, Cameron Latu suffered a knee injury in fall camp and was never quite the same in 2022. He finished with 30 catches and 4 touchdowns. But despite his disappointing numbers, Latu was at least that experienced, savvy safety net of a tight end that Young could count on, even if that happened less. But Latu is gone now, and whoever wins the starting QB job in 2023 will miss him.
So who takes over as the starting tight end in Tuscaloosa? Honestly, right now, in early January, it’s anyone’s guess. The 3 other tight ends who caught a pass for Alabama in 2022 are all returning in 2023: Robbie Ouzts (4 catches), Miles Kitselman (2 catches) and Amari Niblack (1 catch). The fact that this returning trio caught only a combined 7 passes this past season doesn’t mean any one of them couldn’t emerge next fall as the new Latu, whose departure will suddenly open up opportunities for all 3 that just weren’t there the past few seasons.
Perhaps the Tide’s next starting tight end will come from the transfer portal? A few weeks ago, Maryland junior-to-be tight end CJ Dippre transferred to Alabama. This past season, Dippre caught 30 passes (just like Latu, coincidentally) for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Terrapins. Dippre chose to head to Bama instead of staying in the Big Ten and going to Ohio State. At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Dippre could provide a huge target for whoever the new starting quarterback is, and he has that experience from playing and thriving in the rugged Big Ten. Stay tuned.
5. What happens to Jermaine Burton?
For most of the 2022 season, he was the much-maligned transfer from Georgia, the guy who chose to catch passes from Young over Stetson Bennett IV, who beat Young (with Burton’s help) in last season’s national championship game. Burton began his Bama career with a bang, catching 5 passes, including 2 touchdowns, in the season opener against Utah State. And then it all fell kind of flat, as Burton didn’t see the end zone in 7 of the next 8 games.
Burton came on a little bit toward the end of the season, with a combined 18 catches and 4 touchdowns in the final 4 games, including 87 yards receiving and a TD in the Sugar Bowl victory over Kansas State. Sure, Burton ended up leading the Tide in receiving yards, edging out Ja’Corey Brooks. But 677 yards on only 40 catches wasn’t quite what Alabama (and probably Burton himself) had in mind when the season began.
Keep in mind, this was all with a superhero of a quarterback in Young. But Burton and Young never quite got on the same page in 2022, so now what becomes of the senior-to-be in 2023? Can Burton develop a bond with whoever emerges as the starting quarterback? Can he become a senior leader for the Crimson Tide and take his game up 10 notches, even though he’s going to be dealing with an inexperienced signal-caller? It’s all possible. Burton is a heck of a talent, when he’s dialed in. The Burton dynamic is going to be fascinating to follow in 2023, that is for sure.
6. Can Kool-Aid McKinstry become The Guy in the secondary?
Some Crimson Tide followers would argue he already was in 2022, with all due respect to fellow secondary standouts Brian Branch, Jordan Battle and DeMarcco Hellams. Kool-Aid was more than just “cool” as the Tide’s shutdown cornerback. He was a 1st-team All-SEC selection, right there on Bama’s 1st-team all-conference roll call with Byron Young and, of course, Anderson, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year — again.
So with seniors Battle and Hellams gone and the junior Branch declaring for the NFL Draft, shouldn’t that just increase McKinstry’s profile within Alabama’s defense (and the entire team) in 2023? You bet it will. Also consider that McKinstry was 1 of the nation’s top punt returners in 2022 and will presumably be again next fall, so his value to the Tide really knows no bounds. The junior-to-be from Birmingham is set up to elevate himself into superstar status for Bama in 2023. So yeah, he can indeed become The Guy in the Tide’s defensive backfield because he arguably was this past fall.
But there will likely be an adjustment for McKinstry through the offseason and into fall camp. Because there won’t be Battle, or Branch, or Hellams playing alongside him. That’s a whole lot of talent to lose in 1 single offseason, and McKinstry will likely bear that burden more than anyone on the roster. And if that wasn’t enough to overcome, fellow cornerback Eli Ricks decided that 1 season in Tuscaloosa was enough, as the LSU transfer announced he was following Branch by declaring for the Draft instead of coming back for his senior season. Yes, having safeties Terrion Arnold and Malachi Moore back will be key, and 5-star safety Caleb Downs and 4-star cornerback Desmond Ricks will have a lot of eyes on them in 2023 — but a ton will be asked of McKinstry next fall, with so much talent around him saying goodbye.
7. Will Bill O’Brien still be Bama’s OC in ’23?
OK, this one is really hard to answer definitively, with the rampant rumors and all. So we’ll just say this: Who really knows? Only O’Brien really does. He took it on the chin this past fall, being criticized every which way for Alabama’s offensive inconsistencies, his play-calling, you name it. And, as a bonus (we’re being sarcastic), he has been rumored to be heading toward a reunion with either the New England Patriots or with Tom Brady in Tampa.
Interestingly, if O’Brien did opt to reunite with Bill Belichick in New England (where he was an offensive assistant from 2007-11), he would presumably take control of an offense quarterbacked by … former Alabama star Mac Jones, who led the Tide to the national title in 2020. If the 53-year-old O’Brien does return to Tuscaloosa for a 3rd season, he’ll be running an offense not led by Bryce Young for the 1st time, as O’Brien’s arrival at Bama coincided with Young’s arrival as the starting quarterback. Aside from those Brady-Tampa Bay rumors, O’Brien could end up either coaching Young’s successor at Alabama or his predecessor in 2023.
8. How much will Bama benefit from having Will Reichard back?
Um, a lot. A really, really whole lot. Reichard seemed to be saying goodbye to Alabama after the Sugar Bowl victory. He drilled that 49-yarder early in the 4th quarter, and that seemed like an appropriate ending to Reichard’s brilliant Bama career. The kicker from down the road in Hoover had accomplished so much during his 4 years in Tuscaloosa, sprinkling his name all over the Crimson Tide record book. He was heading to the Senior Bowl to try to improve his Draft stock, and that would be that.
The Tide had signed Conor Talty, one of the top kickers in the 2023 class, out of Chicago, and maybe he would turn into the next Reichard? But then everything changed, because Reichard suddenly changed his mind on Jan. 3. Alabama’s career points leader wasn’t quite ready to step away from the Alabama Football Experience (who can blame him?), so he decided to take advantage of his 5th season of eligibility, having an NCAA COVID-19 waiver. And now a Tide offense that will likely have some growing pains with a new starting QB can lean on Reichard’s right foot, for 1 last season.
9. Can Kadyn Proctor make an impact as a freshman?
Saban had already sealed a star-filled 2023 class in the Early Signing Period last month, and then the potential power of this class grew by a lot — literally — when Proctor, the 6-foot-7, 330-pound mammoth offensive tackle, flipped his commitment from Iowa to Alabama. According to 247Sports, Proctor was the No. 5 overall recruit in the country and the top-ranked tackle. Not only did Proctor flip to Bama, the Des Moines product did so after opting out from his home-state school, which makes the Tide’s get that much greater.
Normally, it’s difficult for O-linemen to truly make a huge impact as freshmen, especially at a football factory like Alabama. But Proctor isn’t your typical freshman offensive tackle — he was seen tossing a football 60 yards in the air, with little effort, during drills at the All-American Bowl. And this isn’t your typical offseason at Bama when it comes to the O-line, which lost stars Javion Cohen, Tyler Steen and Emil Ekiyor Jr. to the NFL or transfer portal, among other defections. So yeah, Proctor can absolutely be a factor in 2023. Are you going to tell him otherwise?
10. Has Alabama lost its perch atop the sport?
Ah, the 64-million-dollar question. Only at Alabama would we even broach this subject after 2 whole seasons of not winning the national title. But the problem is, during this 2-season championship drought in Tuscaloosa, that SEC rival school in the neighboring state has ripped off 2 national titles, doing it with a head coach who is a Saban disciple. All of this has caused some to call Georgia “the new Alabama.”
Let’s say this all remains to be seen. Let’s let it play out for another 5-7 years. Saban won 6 national crowns in 12 years. Kirby Smart seems to be on his way to a similar historic run in Athens. But national championships can be a fickle thing. You think you have the permanent recipe, and then they evade you. We’ll say Alabama still resides in the penthouse of college football — but it has company now like it never has before. We’ll see how 2023 changes or strengthens that reality.
ALabama will be just fine next year, imo.
Agree X2
No questions about the Bama DC? Seems like a bigger deal than offense to me.
Most Bama fans would agree. Statistically, Golding (and Saban) fielded a Top 8-10 defense, but could not seem to get stops when it mattered most.
I would just say coaching, discipline and fundamentals overall need addressing.
Maybe the players didn’t make big plays. I can’t remember Will Anderson making game decisive play to seal a close game. That’s what top 10 picks do.
Turner will be the defensive leader.
Lost its perch atop the sport? Facts are never questions.
Tell me Bama is always on your mind without telling me Bama is always on your mind…
Kirby Smart resides in the penthouse of college football, a’ight!
Kirby’s getting ready to GO43N23. Saban’s still acting like he’s entitled, and you can be sure his players are feeling the same way.
We’ll see if Saban can claw his way back to the top floor…
dumb
Agree X2
It is good to see that Bama obsession still has control of some Georgia fans. 2nd and 26 must have really affected some of them for this level of Bama obsession.
…don’t embarrass yourself like that…
Says the guy obsessed with posting on Bama articles.
1 win against Bama in 8. I think you gotta beat the man a few more times to be the man.
But I’ll grant you, smart and uga are definitely the team to beat now. Hope Bama can figure out how not to derp up too much and get back to whipping dawgs in the SEC championship next year. RTR!!
BamaBone. I would agree, except Kirby doesn’t play against Bama every year. Kirby got to the SECCG, Saban didn’t. No reasonable person would think Alabama would’ve beaten Georgia this season.
Saban has as good of a chance as Kirby this year. Hopefully both can make it into the SECCG and or playoff. I think these two teams are going to provide a few more classic games in the next several years.
2008 that year bama vs ga blackout … 31-0 at halftime
Man we won 2 National Championships in a row, 2018 is out the window after that. The 2018 Georgia team was really a 7-4 team that out performed there expectations.
A lot of questions for Bama in 2023 but it’s only January. Once the coordinator and position coach turnover is complete, we’ll have a better idea. BoB is rumored to head off to the NFL and Ole Miss has been in contact with Golding, so we’ll see what happens there.
I don’t see too many portal additions for Bama unless it’s an elite player at a position of need. Bama added a TE and I could see the staff adding an interior D-lineman, Guard, or DB for depth/experience.
I expect a huge QB battle in the Spring but that might not be over until the MTSU game week 1. Whoever the new OC is will have a big impact to which QB wins that battle.
The 2023 recruiting class was absolutely stacked with players that could contribute early, especially with a lot of them enrolled already. I expect 5-8 of them being a big part of what Bama does next season.
The schedule does Bama no favors, either, with some tough games early and a few more daunting road trips.
Seasons with uncertainty looming are no stranger to Saban and he usually puts together a strong team that will have every opportunity to reach their goals and win championships.
The 2023 schedule is much more friendly than the 2022 schedule was. Especially the road games.
Yes, that is true, but compared to the other contenders next year Bama’s schedule is much tougher.
I do agree that Bama’s 2023 schedule is much tougher than Georgia’s is for sure.
Alabama had a easy schedule this year and did nothing with it. Georgia beat the teams Alabama lost to by double digits. Ohio State would have drugged Alabama this year too.
Every team in the SEC hopes Bill O’Brien is the OC this upcoming season. Bryce Young saved that dude’s a-$$ so many times this season.
I believe the lack of senior leadership on this team ,due to those leaving in the portal or going to the NFL, will cause Bama to have more penalty issues and potentially take another step back this upcoming season. I wouldn’t be shocked to see a 9-3 season. They are still a Saban coached team full of talent so they definitely get some credit.
I remember Peter Burns predicting Bama would lose 5 games in 2015 after getting bounced in the playoff in 2014. We all know what happened.
I could very well be wrong here but this team isn’t anything like the 2014 and 2015 Bama teams. Derrick Henry, Kenyan Drake and Bo Scarbrough were your runningback room. That’s insane. None of the guys in your current lineup come close to those 3 guys IMO. You also had Calvin Ridley and OJ Howard. The defense was even more stacked than the skill positions. You were constantly losing this talent and had a clone to back it up. That’s not the case this year.
Doug every comment you make is about comparing Alabama to Ga and still talking about 2018 2nd 26 … did ga and Alabama even play each other this year ?
Doug at Al Michigan beat ohio state the same Michigan team lost to TCU you can fantasize a Ga win as many ways as you want to but the fact is Ga and Alabama didn’t play this year
The Dawgs are the current top of the SEC. You can’t deny two NCs back-to-back. But, to say Bama is done, that they can’t win the NC again, that the Dawgs are in a league of their own is fanciful, at best. Last year’s NC wouldn’t have happened if not for Jamo’s ACL tear in the NC Game. But, that is how it goes. No different than 2 and 26 in 2017. One play changes the entire trajectory of the game. Bama was not going to beat the Dawgs this year, but they certainly would have given them a good game had they played.
For 2023, just getting through the SEC for the Dawgs and Bama is going to be tough. LSU, UT, and SC are going to be tough teams. Any one of those five teams could possibly win their division and the SECCG. USC and OSU are going to be tough again. I believe Clemson and FSU could possibly factor into the CFP picture.
Ultimately, Bama is just fine. Phenomenal recruiting class. Saban will address the OC and DC situation. But like everything, it takes the players, the coaches, and luck with injuries, the schedule, and breaks here and there. I do think the Dawgs have the ability to Three Peat, but like I just said, there are a LOT of things that factor into it than just the ability. Should be a great season and a lot of intrigue.
In closing, the 12 Team Playoff is going to cause people to scream outside the SEC. You mess around and let the top five or six SEC teams into the CFP and there is a GREAT likelihood you could have two-to-four teams in the final four.
Young Mr. Milroe may be the worst QB prospect I’ve seen since 1966. His passing skills are worse than most HS freshmen. The Tide should tell him he can be a tight end or running back or hit the portal. Coach Saban needs to get a mature QB from the portal so the other three can get trained up. Additionally, Coach Saban needs linemen that look exactly like UGA’s because that’s what he used to have back in the day. Just a few years ago, the entire starting Front Seven on Defense played like Mr. Anderson, Jr. Too bad Allen and Payne don’t have any eligibility left. As for the coaching staff, BOB has got to go. He obviously doesn’t understand the college game one bit. He succeeds despite his play calling because the players overcome his nonsense. The TN game speaks volumes. Mr. Young should have audibled 3 times into runs, burned the clock and then settled for the FG. 5-7 yards closer could have made a huge difference for Mr. Reicherd plus the clock would be out. As for Pete Golding, he may be the worst DC in modern times. He’s short and his wild gesticulations on the sidelines are just embarrassing. He might be a great recruiter and that’s fine. He can be the Commander in Chief of recruiting but don’t let him come near a player after they sign. The Tide needs a DC who is 6’4″ with one eye, steel teeth, and a shaved head who can light a fire under the defense. Unfortunately, Mr. Smart is not coming back to Tuscaloosa, AL. If it was for Mr. Anderson, Jr. and a few of the other players doing the right thing and ignoring PG, Alabama would have lost 5 games instead of 2. Coach Saban needs to use the portal to get proven players because the ones who have been recruited lately were developed worth a darn. Perhaps the Tide needs some of the coaching staff at North Dakota State. Despite their loss in this year’s FCS title game, they had won 9 of the last 11 FCS championships. I don’t care where you play, winning 9 championships in 11 years shows you’ve got a program in place. I want the Tide to go 15-0 next year but those young men deserve quality development and right now, the OC, DC, and the assistants just plain can’t get the job done.
Have to agree with much of what you’ve said. But, I do believe Saban addresses much of this, if not all of it. I truly believe, but I could be proven wrong, when Saban’s former championship players started giving him grief over the lack of coaching and playing to the standard, that lit his fuse. And, David Pollack’s comments to the ESPN crew, with Saban sitting beside him, however true it is, was perfect for lighting Saban’s fire. You don’t win 7 NCs without extreme motivation and the ability to change.
Concur! Coach Saban adapted from the 3-yards and a cloud of dust to the rapid fire RPO and he’s still in the game and candidly, 11-2 isn’t bad. The pendulum could have swung the other way and the Tide would have been 12-0 going to the SEC title game and even with a loss, been in the CFP. Need to calm the crew down on the field and get the penalties under control and that will help immensely.
Starting Ty and using Milroe as an H-Back would be ideal. We need a quick receiving threat out of the backfield.
Milroe was good enough to beat Texas A&M. Although so did Appalachian State. LoL
I think the Arkansas game is a better example for Milroe’s ability.
Young Mr. Milroe has no sense of pressure when he is in the pocket. The Tide beat A&M because Coach Fisher made quite possibly the most ignorant call of his coaching career down on the one yard line. He had the muscle to get one yard yet he chose to throw that quick bizarre pass. Oh well, thank goodness for bad decisions. As for Mr. Milroe, no sense of timing, no sense of awareness and anything a modern QB needs. Holds the ball like a loaf of bread the way the Oklahoma players did in the 70’s. The young man can either move to RB or TE or he needs to be told to enter the portal.
Alabama and Coach Saban aren’t going anywhere. He just signed seven five-stars! He doesn’t even have to develop them, just keep them out of the portal.
Alabama has tons of talent on the team as well as incoming freshmen. Saban will get a few from the transfer portal. When Georgia has done what Alabama has done the past 15-16 years then they can brag. But no hard feelings, Congratulations to Georgia for keeping the Championship in the SEC.
Yes! The SEC continues the dominance over the rest of the conferences and that’s what recruits see coming out of HS. I found it hilarious that Coach Riley at USC truly had the best team money could buy and at the end of the day, they lost twice to Utah and allowed a decent Tulane team back into the game and eventually lost. We all know Coach Riley left OU because he did not want to face the meatgrinder that is the SEC schedule. USC and Ohio State are very similar in that they generally only have to get it up for one or two games out of their 12 game schedule. No wonder they win so much.
Bama will still be a good team, and hard to beat. Dallas Turner could be the 2nd best returning edge rusher in the SEC behind Harold Perkins. Braswell will improve.
I can see Oatis continuing to improve and eat up double teams, but they’ll need more than just him.
I think OL and CB will be weak points for Bama in 2023. Not weak weak, just still not to normal Bama standards.
Many things could change between now and the season starting, but on paper, looking at what others return, I can see the Tide losing a couple in the regular season again.
9-3 or 10-2 would not surprise me at all. They have 2 away games that could potentially give them trouble in A&M and Auburn.
Going to be a weird season in the SEC IMO due to the amount of QBs and star talent leaving a lot of teams. Hard to replace some of these guys. Georgia and LSU are in the driver’s seat their divisions.