It wasn’t long ago that the Alabama Crimson Tide football team was named National Champions. Alabama had one of the best seasons of all-time after it dominated the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship game. After some changes to the roster and coaching staff, the Crimson Tide are ready to start their on-the-field process for the 2021 College Football season. On March 19th, Alabama football will open its 2021 Spring Camp with several huge questions going into the season. Alabama looks to have its first full Spring Camp session since the spring of 2019 after the impact of COVID-19 forced all college football teams to cancel spring practice in 2020. Alabama looks to become the first team to repeat as National Champions since the 2011 and 2012 seasons when the Tide won both titles.
Biggest Questions for Alabama Going into 2021 Spring Training Camp
1. How will Bryce Young start his career as the starting quarterback?
Since 2016, Alabama has seen elite playmakers at quarterback take the starting position early. After the departure of Davey O’Brien Award-Winning quarterback Mac Jones to the 2021 NFL Draft, the starting quarterback position has been shifted to dual-threat sophomore quarterback Young. Young will have a lot of noise circulating him as he attempts to be one of the next great offensive playmakers for Alabama. How he succeeds in the early process of Spring Camp will depend on his connection to his receivers. Young’s success as the new starting quarterback will also depend on how fast and efficient he learns the offensive system of new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
2. Will the inexperience of the offensive line show early?
One of the biggest questions for Alabama’s offense is the youth and inexperience of the offensive line. Having to replace three offensive linemen has not been easy for Alabama. The Tide only allowed 19 sacks from this past season but they are up against a difficult task. One of the most experienced linemen, Evan Neal, will likely transition to the starting left tackle. Emil Ekijor Jr. starts at right guard once again. Sixth-year offensive lineman Chris Owens has limited playing experience but he played stellar in the two playoff games this past season. The Tide will have many competitors with limited-to-no-experience looking to start at the right tackle and left guard. Tommy Brown, Javion Cohen, Kendall Randolph, and true freshman LC Lantham will compete for those starting spots.
3. Who steps up as the leader in the secondary?
The Tide’s best coverage playmaker in years, Patrick Surtain II, departed early for the 2021 NFL Draft. Alabama will need a new leader in the secondary going into the 2021 College Football season. Last season, the Tide’s secondary had some tough moments as they finished the season ranked 71st in the nation in passing yards allowed per game (223.2). Further, cornerback Josh Jobe didn’t have the strongest finish to the season. Jobe returns for his senior season as the potential number one coverage cornerback. Throughout the season, true freshman Malachi Moore was elevating himself significantly. Moore quickly went from a true freshman starter to a legitimate consistent playmaker. His impact on the field matches the consistency that Xavier McKinney and Minkah Fitzpatrick contributed. Both players quickly became the leaders in the secondary, but also of the entire defense in their junior/final season.
4. Which player will be first in line at the mike position?
The biggest defensive position that Tide Nation will be focused early on during Spring Camp will be the middle linebacker. There is an opening at the most important position on Alabama’s defense. There have already been several linebackers to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. The most experienced players at the linebacker position are senior Jaylen Moody and junior Shane Lee. Last season, Moody was the main backup mike linebacker behind Dylan Moses. He accounted for 19 total tackles. Lee only accounted for three total tackles this past season. In the 2018 season, when Lee and Christian Harris were thrown into being true freshmen starters due to injuries before the season, Lee accounted for 86 total tackles (second-on-team), 47 solo tackles, six-and-a-half tackles for loss, and four-and-a-half sacks. This will be the most interesting position battle this offseason for Alabama.
5. Which assistant makes the biggest impression for the 2021 season?
Tide Nation pays attention to their coaching assistants and their coordinators. Alabama football goes into the 2021 Spring Camp conflicted as a brilliant but controversial O’Brien will develop the Tide’s offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Tide Nation was discouraged by the serious struggles that defensive coordinator Pete Golding had establishing consistencies and balance to his defense. However, Alabama’s defense did finish strong in the College Football Playoffs especially in the championship against Ohio State. Both O’Brien and Golding will be judged on how well they establish control for their respective units. As they coach their players in the spring, they will be facing off constantly in an epic chess match to gain an upper hand for the rest of the offseason.
