Alabama Football: 5 keys to a successful 2019 season

5. Alabama must have quality play at inside linebacker

The Crimson Tide lost Mack Wilson as an inside linebacker this year, so there is a need for a new ‘backer to start. Wilson will be replaced by Dylan Moses, a smart guy that can carry the load of being the quarterback of the defense. He is also incredibly athletic, and he can ring some bells in both the run game and the pass game. He can blitz, cover, and all-around just do whatever it takes to make his team successful. There aren’t many questions about how Dylan Moses will do this season.

The question marks arise around the player that will play alongside Moses in 2019. When Moses fills in for Wilson, who will fill in for him? There are a few candidates, but no one has stepped up and taken the job for themselves.

It appears for now that the leading candidate is Joshua McMillon, a senior. McMillon only has nine games of experience under his belt, and a lot of his reps came in special teams. He has the seniority, but he will have to prove himself.

Other candidates in the mix include Markail Benton, Jaylen Moody, and freshman Shane Lee. All of these players will fight to move up the depth chart, and I wouldn’t pick any frontrunners just yet. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered.

A dark horse candidate is Ale Kaho. Kaho was expected to slide into the starting role this year, and he still might. However, he has had to work on personal issues, and even considered quitting football entirely. That has to be Kaho’s first priority right now, but perhaps he can turn into the player he can be once he manages to focus solely on football.