Alabama Football: 5 former players the Tide will miss most in 2019
By Dakota Cox
3. Josh Jacobs
Although Alabama’s offense will be potent and the running game will be strong, fans would love to have Josh Jacobs back for one more year. What he brought to both the running and passing game will be hard to find in his replacements.
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The biggest reason fans will miss him is what he did in the passing game. From swing passes to creative run/pass options, he made Tua’s life easier. He didn’t catch a lot of balls, but he averaged 12.4 yards a catch and got 3 receiving touchdowns. Just the threat of him out of the backfield helps make the jobs of everyone else easier.
The running game will be in good hands with Najee Harris and Brian Robinson. However, I am a little concerned about the passing game through running backs. This is a great wrinkle that Alabama has had, and I’m not sure what to expect this year. Harris only caught four passes for seven yards last year, and Robinson didn’t catch any.
This can be a little skewed, though. For the majority of these players’ snaps, the team was ahead significantly. They weren’t necessarily looking to open up the entire playbook. If they were filling in for Jacobs or Damien Harris, they just had to take the easy handoff and gain yardage. Now that their role will be crucial to the team’s success, they will open up that part of their game.
Fans hope they will be as talented in the receiving game as Jacobs was, but that is yet to be seen.