The Alabama Crimson Tide were favorites to once again life the National Championship trophy until a once-in-a-decade play blew them out the water.  Tied with the Auburn Tigers with time about to expire,  Nick Saban opted for a long-range field goal instead of letting the clock wind down.  The kick came up short and was subsequently returned for a walk-off touchdown.

Up until the final game of the season Alabama were perfect having dispatched 11 opponents in a row,  including Texas A&M who scored 42 points against the fabled red defense.

A disappointing loss in the Sugar Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners on January 2nd drew their season to a close but their main goal was already lost.

Top Newcomers

Da’Shawn Hand, defensive end:  Hand was the number one recruit in the nation according to Rivals.com and he is likely far too good to keep on the sideline as a freshman.  Unlike recent times,  the Alabama defensive line does not have any stars of yet and Hand,  who measures 6’4 inches tall and weighs 250lbs, believes he is the next.

Marlon Humphrey, cornerback: Humphrey is built perfectly for the running back position.  At 6’1 inches tall and track speed he has the potential to be special if he can hone his skills.  With the defensive back position showing a few holes the Alabama native could see the field from week one.

Top Returning Players

T.J. Yeldon, running back: Following in the footsteps of Mark Ingram,  Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy,  Yeldon is the next in line on the Alabama running back production line as he goes for his third successive 1,000-yard season.  The Crimson Tide tailbacks just get better,  and better,  and better.  The freshman already had 26 rushing touchdowns to his name and will became and Alabama all-time great if he continues along the same path.

Amari Cooper, wide receiver: Arguably the best wide receiver in college football,  Cooper has not seen as many balls come his way as he would like due to the powerful running game.  After coming one agonising yard away from a 1,000-yard season as a freshman,  he will finally look to break the barrier as a junior after he was plagued by injuries last season.

Positional Breakdown

Quarterback: Alabama has only ever had three starting quarterbacks since 2006 but this year sees them with three players all vying for the top job.  Senior Blake Sims will be up against redshirt freshman Cooper Bateman and Florida State transfer Jacob Coker who has two years of eligibility left.

Running Back: The Crimson Tide’s stable of running backs is as strong as ever. T.J. Yeldon is a Heisman Trophy candidate while junior Kenyan Drake could turn out to be even better. Sophomore Derrick Harvey posted a 100-yard game in the Sugar Bowl.

Wide Receiver: Amari Cooper will lead the corps while DeAndrew White returns and will look to show his 100-yard performance against the Oklahoma Sooners was no fluke. Christon Jones is a playmaker who had 36 receptions last year.

Tight End: Senior Brian Vogler is a blocking tight end and he caught just eight catches in 2013.  O.J. Howard is the up-and-coming receiving threat and he built a good platform as a freshman with 14 receptions for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

Offensive Tackle: Five-star recruit Cam Robinson enrolled early and has already claimed the starting left tackle job in the wake of Cyrus Kouandjio’s move to the NFL.  Austin Shepherd will provide some stability at tight tackle.

Guard: Kouandjio’s brother,  Arie,  will play at left guard for his senior season while another senior in the shape of Leon Brown will be at right guard.

Center: Junior Ryan Kelly will slot straight back into the center roll after proving his worth in his first season as starter.

Defensive End: Hand will occupy a role left by Ed Stinson while leading sack man from 2013 A’Shawn Robinson will be hoping to kick on in his sophomore year.

Defensive Tackle: Senior nose tackle Brandon Ivory will occupy one starting spot despite an inconsistent career thus far.  Meanwhile,  junior college transfer Jarran Reed is in with a shot of occupying the other have he helped East Mississippi win the junior college championship.

Linebackers: Trey DePriest will be the senior figure at the heart of the Alabama Defense and rightly so with 26 starts to his name from 40 games.  Reggie Ragland is likely to get a good look at a starting spot after Reuben Foster sustained a number of injuries.  Junior Denzel Devall had five sacks for a loss and three sacks as a sophomore and may see increased time.

Cornerback: All four starting defensive backs from the beginning of the 2013 season have moved on so that means two new starting corners to open the season.  Deion Belue has the most experience and will certainly claim one spot if he can stay healthy.  Juniors Bradley Sylve and Cyrus Jones will battle it out with our top newcomer Humphrey for the second spot although all are likely to see time.

Safety: Landon Collins will be one of ‘Bama’s best players during the upcoming campaign and the defensive back unit will be built around him.  Corner convert Geno Smith is favorite to beat out senior Nick Perry for the other spot.

Special Teams: Adam Griffith made one of three kicks in a backup roll last year and has little competition for the starting job while a number of punters will battle it out for that vacant job.

Biggest Strengths

Despite a powerful defense and experience offensive line,  it is hard to look past the offensive weapons the Tide boast.  T.J. Yeldon, Kenyan Drake and Derrick Henry in the backfield with Amari Cooper and Christion Jones amongst others at wide receiver,  opposing defenses will find it impossible to shut down just one aspect of the offense never mind negate both the run and the pass.  There will be unfamiliarity at quarterback but if anybody can handle that kind of change it is Nick Saban.

Biggest Weaknesses

Despite the presence of Collins,  the defensive back group is a little wobbly,  at least at this stage of the season.  Freshmen Humphrey and Tony Brown have all the potential in the world but are a little raw,  while senior Belue,  as I mentioned prior,  has injury issues.  There is no doubt this group of players can be elite,  but it will take time for the new faces to bed in.

Schedule

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