Alabama Football: Projected post-spring 2019 depth chart
Linebacker
OLB (Jack)
- Anfernee Jennings (RS SR)
- Christopher Allen (RS SO)
- Ben Davis (RS JR)
ILB (Mike)
- Dylan Moses (JR)
- Shane Lee (FR) OR Markail Benton (RS SO)
- Ale Kaho (SO)
ILB (Will)
- Joshua McMillon (RS SR)
- Shane Lee (FR)
- Jaylen Moody (SO)
OLB (Sam)
- Terrell Lewis (RS JR)
- Eyabi Anomoa (SO)
- Jarez Parks (RS FR)
One of the most disappointing position groups for the Tide in 2018 was at linebacker, particularly on the inside. With Mack Wilson and Dylan Moses starting, Alabama was softer in the middle than they had been since at least 2014. With Wilson off to the NFL, Moses now steps in to the Mike linebacker role as the signal-caller of the defense. Moses is one of the most athletic linebackers in college football, but he’ll have a lot more on his plate in 2019. There might not be a more important player on the roster than Moses next season; it’s imperative that he becomes the alpha dog he has the potential to be.
With Moses sliding over to Mike, the starting Will linebacker spot was left vacant, and the battle for the job was pretty wide open throughout the spring. Redshirt senior Joshua McMillon earned the start at A-Day, and acquitted himself nicely. He looked particularly good when dropping back into coverage, and he should be considered the favorite to take the first snaps against Duke.
Freshman Shane Lee was another impressive early enrollee for the Crimson Tide. He displayed some good instincts, and picked off a pass during the A-Day game. If Lee continues to develop at his current pace, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him jump McMillon.
Sophomore Ale Kaho was long considered the favorite to win the Will role after spending 2018 as Moses’s backup, but he missed the first two practices of the spring for personal reasons and has been trying to fight his way from the back of the pack and out of the doghouse ever since. There’s still time for him to jump up and earn the job, but he faces quite the uphill battle.
Outside linebacker might be Alabama’s deepest position outside of wide receiver. The Tide legitimately boasts four starting caliber edge rushers there. Redshirt senior Anfernee Jennings leads the position group, and will likely be one of the team’s captains next season after turning down the draft for one more ride in Bryant-Denny.
On the other side, redshirt junior Terrell Lewis took it slow this spring as he continues to get back to 100% following his ACL tear last summer. Lewis is one of college football’s most talented players; here’s hoping he can stay healthy for a full season. If he does, he could put up big numbers.
Sophomore Eyabi Anoma took advantage of Lewis sitting for most of the spring, earning first-team reps and making the most of them. Anoma nearly transferred after the national championship game, but was yanked out of the portal by Saban. The former five-star has kept his head down and put in the work so far, and will undoubtedly have a role on next season’s team.
I imagine that Lewis will be on a bit of a pitch-count to try and keep him healthy, and Anoma should get plenty of snaps as a result. They could also utilize either in the Tim Williams role as the designated pass rusher.
Alabama’s biggest problem in the national title loss to Clemson was its inability to put pressure on Trevor Lawrence. As long as everyone stays healthy, the Crimson Tide’s pass rush should be a major strength in 2019.