Alabama Football: 3 storylines to watch during spring 2021

After their sixth national championship under Nick Saban, Alabama football is ready to reload and chase another. Here are the storylines to watch.

Spring football is right around the corner and that will mean our first taste of the teams that will be taking the field this fall. A lot of teams will look very familiar, with the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility for all players that participated in 2020, but the defending national champions will look very different this fall.

The coaching staff was once again poached, but Nick Saban found adequate replacements per usual. Former Texans head coach Bill O’Brien will replace Steve Sarkisian as the offensive coordinator and former Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone will be the new offensive line coach.

The offense will be missing superstars in quarterback Mac Jones, running back Najee Harris, receivers Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith and offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood. Alabama had arguably the greatest offense of all time a season ago and replacing those guys will not be easy. But it’s Saban and Alabama and these guys recruit better than anyone in the entire country. The Crimson Tide will simply reload on offense.

On defense, there will be some leadership to replace. Linebacker Dylan Moses was the heart and soul of the Alabama defense and will not be easily replaced. The defensive line will be missing the interior pass rush of Christian Barmore and the secondary will need another lockdown corner to replace Patrick Surtain II. Look for Josh Jobe to potentially be a superstar alongside safety Jordan Battle as those two will be leading the secondary.

This spring will be about identifying new playmakers before the season kicks off in Atlanta against Miami in September.

While you should expect the Crimson Tide to reload, there are plenty of storylines to watch this spring.