The Alabama football team returns in 2017 looking to create the same depth on defense that carried them through 2016.
The depth chart for the Alabama Crimson Tide returns 11 total starters from a season ago but there’s no such thing as panic with this team. After all, they went 14-0 before losing by four points in the National Championship game. They’ve won the last three SEC titles and have lost three conference games since the 2013 season.
The Crimson Tide and quarterback Jalen Hurts have an interesting relationship forming. Hurts won the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award, accounting for 36 total touchdowns (23 passing, 13 rushing) last season.
Hurts led the team in rushing touchdowns and was second in rushing yards with 954 yards in 2016. However, in 2017, durability will be the name of the game. With only Hurts and true freshmen Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones and walk-on sophomore Montana Murphy, Alabama doesn’t have much experience at the position.
Da’Ron Payne and Da’Shawn Hand are expected to be key pieces on this year’s defensive line. However, with Hand’s recent run-in with the law, junior college transfer defensive end Xavier Buggs could move up the depth chart. Hand is on the Lombardi Award preseason watch list, an award given to the best lineman in the nation, but with trouble looming, his fate is up in the air.
The offensive line returns three starters from a season ago. The left tackle spot was left open by Cam Robinson’s departure to the NFL. He is now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The right tackle position is one that is up for grabs. With a number of offensive line recruits on the roster, the Alabama Crimson Tide are sure to figure something out.
Offensive Line
Starting tackles: Jonah Williams (LT), Matt Womack (RT)
Backups: Scott Lashley, Alex Leatherwood
Jonah Williams moves from the right tackle to the left tackle spot to replace Cam Robinson. Williams, a sophomore, started all 15 games at right tackle for Alabama last season. His contributions will be looked upon to lead the tackle position.
Matt Womack made an appearance at tackle in nine games in 2016. Womack, a redshirt sophomore, is a sign of the growing depth the Crimson Tide are developing on the offensive line.
Scott Lashley, a redshirt freshman, will push for time at one reserve tackle spot. Alex Leatherwood will push for time at the other reserve tackle spot. He is a true freshman who arrived early in January but doesn’t look like he’s ready to start just yet.
Starting center: Bradley Bozeman
Backup: J.C. Hassenauer
Bradley Bozeman returns after earning the starting center job as a junior in 2016. He started in all 15 games and returns as the anchor for the offensive line.
J.C. Hassenauer will serve as the backup center as serving as the reserve last season. Hassenauer made an appearance in nine games for Alabama.
Starting guards: Ross Pierschbacher (LG), Lester Cotton (RG)
Backups: Dallas Warmack, Deonte Brown
Offensive guard Ross Pierschbacher and Lester Cotton round out the offensive line group. Both players have starting experience entering the new season. Pierschbacher was a Freshman All-American in his first season as an offensive guard, starting in all 15 games.
Cotton started two games at left guard and three at right guard a season ago. He played a reserve role in the final nine games of the season.
Dallas Warmack is a true freshman who is continuing to excel at the guard position. He could see time in the rotation this season as a reserve. The other potential reserve, Deonte Brown, is coming off a redshirt freshman season.
Defensive Line
Starting tackle: Da’Ron Payne
Backups: Raekwon Davis/Phidarian Mathis
Da’Ron Payne mans the middle of the a defensive line looking to reload. With the departure of Jonathan Allen and Dalvin Tomlinson, other guys will have to step up. Look for Payne to be one of those guys.
Payne is a Lombari Award watch list recipient this season. He recorded 36 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and a recovery for a touchdown in 2016.
Behind Payne are Raekwon Davis and Phidarian Mathis. Davis saw action in seven games for the Alabama Crimson Tide defense last season. Mathis is a highly-touted recruit from the state of Louisiana who should see time as a true freshman.
Starting ends: Da’Shawn Hand, Josh Frazier
Backups: Isaiah Buggs, La’Bryan Ray
The recent run-in with the law by Da’Shawn Hand puts his status for the season opener against Florida State. However, Hand is still expected to start unless stated otherwise. If anything, trouble opens the door for junior college transfer Isaiah Buggs to crack the starting lineup.
Buggs is a player hailing from the infamous Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, a junior college that made an appearance on the Netflix series Last Chance U.
Josh Frazier will man the other starting defensive end position. Frazier saw time in 14 games last season as a reserve on the defensive line.
La’Bryan Ray is another true freshman who should see time on the Crimson Tide defensive line. At 6-foot-5, 272 pounds, Ray looks like a beast on paper.
Linebacker
Starting inside backers: Rashaan Evans (Mike), Shaun Dion Hamilton (SAM)
Backups: Dylan Moses, Jamey Mosley
Rashaan Evans returns this season as the favorite at mike linebacker. He totaled 52 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery after moving to the inside last season.
Shaun Dion Hamilton takes on the strongside linebacker duties, a position he excelled at in 2016. He was having a strong junior season before going down with a knee injury against the Florida Gators. He’ll need to come back healthy to lead the linebacker unit for Alabama.
Dylan Moses and Jamey Mosley are the possible backups. Moses is an early enrollee from the Crimson Tide’s 2017 recruiting class looking to earn some playing time right away. Mosley is a redshirt junior and former walk-on who earned a scholarship for his play in 2016.
Starting outside backers: Anfernee Jennings (Jack), Christian Miller (Will)
Backup: Keith Holcombe, Mack Wilson
Anfernee Jennings serves as the starting Jack linebacker in the 3-4 base defense for Alabama Crimson Tide linebacking corps. The Jack linebacker position was run exclusively by linebackers Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams a season ago. The two combined for 34.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. Jennings will have his work cut out for him filling the void.
Christian Miller will possibly take on weakside linebacker duties in place of unsung leader Reuben Foster. Foster led the team in tackles last season (115). Miller saw actions on both special teams and defense in 2016, racking up 16 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.
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Keith Holcombe is a two-sport athlete (baseball) looking to find his way onto the field more in 2017. He’ll serve as one reserve linebacker but could see a lot of time depending on production. He had 24 total tackles last year.
Mack Wilson, a sophomore, serves as the other reserve at linebacker. He appeared in 15 games last season as a true freshman.
Defensive Back
Starting safeties: Ronnie Harrison, Minkah Fitzpatrick
Backups: Jared Mayden, Laurence “Hootie” Jones
The defensive back group is a strong group led by Ronnie Harrison and Minkah Fitzpatrick at the safety position. Ronnie Harrison was second on the Alabama Crimson Tide defense in tackles last season (83). He also had two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, seven pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
Minkah Fitzpatrick led the team with six interceptions, including two returned for a touchdown. Fitzpatrick is a ball-hawking safety who makes teams pay when they throw his way. He stepped up big last season when Eddie Jackson was lost for the season with a broken leg. His play earned him All-American honors as well as first team All-SEC honors.
Jared Mayden will serve as one reserve safety. He saw limited action as a true freshman last year but his role will certainly expand this year on the top defense in the nation. Hootie Jones is a rising senior who saw action in 13 games last season. He had 20 tackles and four pass breakups.
Starting cornerbacks: Trevon Diggs, Anthony Averett
Backups: Tony Brown, Nigel Knott
Trevon Diggs enters 2017 looking to play a bigger role at cornerback. He was a two-way player last season, serving as a kick returner/wide receiver and defensive back. He caught 11 receptions for 88 receiving yards and a touchdown and also had five tackles on defense.
Anthony Averett serves as the other starting cornerback. He led the defense last season with eight pass breakups and had 48 tackles (39 solo). The rising junior was a first-year starter in 2016.
Tony Brown is one defensive back who will see a lot of time, whether at the backup corner spot or the team’s Star position in nickel packages. He racked 32 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 10 games of actions last year.
Redshirt freshman Nigel Knott will serve as the other reserve at cornerback. He was a redshirt player in 2016.
Wide Receiver
Starting receivers: Calvin Ridley, Robert Foster, Jerry Jeudy
Backups: Cam Sims, Tyrell Shavers, Henry Ruggs III
The wide receiver group is a growing topic of discussion for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The loss of Ardarius Stewart won’t hurt too much based on the turnover in recruiting. Plus, with Calvin Ridley returning, there’s nowhere to go but up for this unit.
Ridley was second on the team in receiving yards (769) and receiving touchdowns (7) behind Stewart. His production wasn’t as big as his freshman season (1,045 receiving yards) but with a new quarterback, Ridley didn’t seem to lose a step at all.
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Robert Foster is another name fans will see a lot of in the starting lineup. He was the number one option for the Tide’s offense in 2015 before going down with a shoulder injury. Despite appearing in three games last season, he hopes to get more playing time this year as a redshirt senior.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is a newcomer but is none too shy with excelling on the field. Jeudy was named the MVP at the team’s A-Day after catching five passes for 134 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the spring. Jeudy’s talent was on full display in the team’s annual spring game which certainly catapulted him up the depth chart.
Cam Sims is a reserve wide receiver who will get plenty of opportunities to prove himself this season. The 6-foot-5 senior caught 14 passes for 152 receiving yards last season. His size and speed should come in handy this season for the Alabama offense.
Tyrell Shavers and Henry Ruggs III are two other newcomers who should push for playing time at wide receiver. Shavers got a head start on things by enrolling in January. Ruggs III should push the competition in fall camp.
Running Back
Starting running back: Damien Harris/Bo Scarbrough
Backup: Josh Jacobs/Najee Harris
The running back position should carry the Alabama Crimson Tide on offense all season long. With limited numbers at quarterback, new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll will be given the task of protecting their biggest asset, Jalen Hurts, by overloading the running game.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Crimson Tide led the SEC in total rushing yards this season either with running backs Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough in the backfield. Harris led the team in rushing yards (1,037) while Scarbrough was second in rushing touchdowns (11).
Harris averaged 7.2 yards per carry despite only scoring twice all season. Scarbrough was the developing story as the season progressed. He ran for 364 rushing yards and six touchdowns in the Tide’s final three games of 2016 before breaking his leg in the National Championship game.
Harris and Scarbrough should split time again in the backfield, although with the logjam in the backfield, it may be difficult to not play more than three backs.
Sophomore Josh Jacobs is next in line to receive a bulk of the carries after Harris and Scarbrough. Jacobs rushed for 567 rushing yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman in 2016.
Najee Harris is a true freshman who could get a lot of carries in 2017 as well. He ran the ball 17 times for 70 rushing yards in the Crimson Tide’s annual A-Day this past spring.
Quarterback
Starting quarterback: Jalen Hurts
Backup: Tua Tagovailoa
The quarterback position was taken by storm when Jalen Hurts came along in 2016. Hurts earned SEC Offensive Player of the Year, SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Newcomer of the Year honors after leading the Alabama Crimson Tide to a perfect season in-conference.
The second year starter enters 2017 looking to turn a corner in the passing game. He’s got a lot of new weapons to work with to elevate his game, too. He completed 62.8 percent of his passes while also rushing for 954 rushing yards but he’ll need to run less to protect his durability.
The Crimson Tide have just five players listed on the roster at quarterback, Hurts is the only one with on-field experience. If he goes down, an injury could throw a huge wrench in the offensive gameplan. However, with backup Tua Tagovailoa, the coaching staff isn’t losing much sleep.
Tagovailoa took Alabama fans by surprise in their annual A-Day game. During A-Day, Tagovailoa was 17-of-29 for 313 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Granted, it was mostly against the second-team defense but still, the Alabama defense is no slouch.
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Tagovailoa has received nothing but high praise since enrolling at Tuscaloosa this past January. So much so, head coach Nick Saban thinks he will definitely play in 2017.