Alabama football always has a few players that surprise fans for a breakout season. These players are crucial. Who will they be in 2019?
The stakes are high for Alabama football this season. With players like Tua Tagovailoa, Jerry Jeudy, Najee Harris, and Dylan Moses all entering their junior year, they will likely leave for the NFL Draft after this season. If they want to win a ring as the key contributors on a team, this will be their last chance.
Of course, Alabama has the talent and skill on the roster to get to another National Championship Game. They’ve made it to the past four. You don’t have that kind of sustained success and lose it all in one year, especially when the majority of your offensive talent comes back.
One thing that every championship team must have is a breakout star. You’ll always have the stars that you expect to play well, but players that can be X-factors in a season are priceless.
When Alabama beat Clemson in the National Championship in 2015, Kenyan Drake was a bit of a surprise. Everyone knew he was good, but they didn’t expect him to have a big impact because of Derrick Henry. However, Drake still had a huge impact during the season and scored a historic touchdown on a kick return against Clemson.
Against Georgia, Tua was obviously the surprise. Many knew he was talented, but no one saw it coming when Tagovailoa stepped onto the field in the second half and saved Alabama’s season. Da’Ron Payne also surprised many with his performance against Clemson in the Semifinal game that year, but he was known to be a star.
They didn’t win a title this year, but Quinnen Williams and Josh Jacobs both exploded onto the scene. Without them, 2018 would have been a completely different story. Impact players like them are what makes a good team great.
If Alabama wants to achieve their goals, they will need more players like that. Here are some candidates for a breakout 2019 season.