Alabama will look to repeat as national champions this year as it aims to add a 19th title to its trophy case. The Crimson Tide opens its season on Sept. 4 against Miami inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. To help pass the time until then, BamaInsider is delving into 21 topics and questions concerning the 2021 season.
Today we begin our series by taking a look at a few true freshmen to watch in the coming year.
Agiye Hall, wide receiver
The hype surrounding Agiye Hall isn’t about to die down anytime soon. After introducing himself to Alabama fans with a breakout A-Day performance, the freshman receiver went viral with another highlight grab last week as he out-jumped Indianapolis Colts defensive back Isaiah Rodgers for a ball last week.
Hall flashed his acrobatics several times during the A-Day scrimmage, pulling in four receptions for 72 yards. The freshman’s first catch of the day came on a 37-yard gain where he secured a deep ball while falling backward over a defender. Later, Hall came away with perhaps the play of the game, recording a sideline snag over cornerback Ronald Williams Jr. where he outleaped the defender while managing to keep his left foot in bounds for a first down.
“He makes a lot of contested catches,” head coach Nick Saban said of Hall following A-Day. “He’s got great size. He’s got some explosive speed that I think we need. We need some guys to complement John Metchie when he gets back. We are pleased with his progress. He had a really good spring.”
Alabama brought in Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams to the mix earlier this month, adding a bit more speed and experience to the unit. The junior is an early favorite to land a first-team role alongside returning starters John Metchie III and Slade Bolden. However, Hall should still have plenty of opportunities to flash his big-play ability this fall.
Ga’Quincy McKinstry, defensive back
Offensive players tend to get the bulk of attention on A-Day, but Ga’Quincy McKinstry also managed to make a good first impression in front of the Alabama faithful last month. The five-star freshman defensive back recorded the interception that set up the White team’s game-winning field goal drive and also recorded a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and three tackles during the scrimmage.
McKinstry, a Pinson Valley, Ala. native, came to the Tide as the top player in the state as well as the top cornerback in the nation. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound defensive back has the size and athleticism Saban covets at the cornerback position and displayed constant improvement over the spring.
“Every day Coach Saban gets on him about getting better and he feeds off of it,” safety Jordan Battle said following the A-Day game. “Every day he gets better with trying to get things corrected and today showed that he’s made a lot of improvement and he made a lot of plays out there.”
Alabama loses just one member of last year’s secondary as All-American cornerback Patrick Surtain II made his way to the NFL last month. While Jalyn Armour-Davis filled that opening this spring, McKinstry has the talent to push the redshirt junior for playing time this fall.
J.C. Latham, offensive lineman
After losing three starters from last season, Alabama’s offensive line needs a bit of help. The unit struggled at times this spring and still needs to figure out the right grouping if it wants to reload for the coming year. However, there’s a reason Saban never lost his optimism during camp.
JC Latham highlights a talented incoming crop of linemen which also includes fellow five-star tackle Tommy Brockermeyer as well as James Brockermeyer, TJ Ferguson and Jaeden Roberts. Latham, 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, arrived at Alabama this year as the top tackle and No. 2 overall player in this year’s class. The five-star talent lined up at right tackle for the second-team offense during the A-Day scrimmage and figures to be a serious candidate to fight for the starting role at that position this fall.
Alabama started Kendall Randolph at right tackle on the first-team during the A-Day game. The redshirt senior certainly has a leg up in terms of experience over Latham. However, Saban has shown several times in the past that he isn’t afraid to play young talent. Latham arguably has the highest upside of any of Alabama’s young linemen. If he’s able to continue his improvement over the summer, he could make a strong case for first-team minutes during fall camp.
Deontae Lawson, inside linebacker
Alabama’s linebacking corps is crowded, especially after the addition of Tennessee transfer Henry To’o To’o earlier this month. However, Deontae Lawson figures to be a hard player to keep off the field for long.
The Rivals100 freshman recorded four tackles, including one for a loss, with two pass breakups and a fumble recovery during Alabama’s A-Day game last month. Donning the No. 32 jersey previously worn by Dylan Moses, Lawson looks to offer the same athleticism as the Tide’s leading tackler last season.
It will be interesting to see how Alabama’s depth at inside linebacker plays out. Christian Harris is a near lock to retain his starting spot from last season while To’o To’o and Jaylen Moody will likely battle for the starting spot next to him. Lawson will also have to compete with Shane Lee, who started during his freshman season in 2019, as well as a five-star talent in Demouy Kennedy.
In recent years, several of Alabama’s star linebackers have begun their careers on special teams. Lawson looks destined to follow that route next season, but he’s certainly one to watch on defense moving forward.
“Deontae Lawson, man, he’s a freshman that just came in here and he’s been improving a lot,” Moody said following the A-Day game. “Been learning, been making tremendous improvement every day, coming to work every day, asking all the questions that he needs to make sure that he learns the playbook. ... He’s gonna keep improving, and we’re gonna keep going so that we can have him ready for the upcoming season.”
JoJo Earle, wide receiver
It might be hard for JoJo Earle to break into Alabama’s offense right away given that he missed out on valuable reps this spring. However, the dynamic receiver should be able to contribute in some fashion during his freshman season.
Earle is set to inject some speed and shiftiness into Alabama’s receiving corps when he joins the team this summer. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound receiver was rated as the No. 41 overall player and No. 5 player at his position in this year’s class. Earle comes from Aledo High School in Texas, which supplied the Tide with running back Jase McClellan last year. Like McClellan, Earle is a constant big-play threat, combining for 4,984 yards of total offense while recording 39 touchdowns through the air and 26 more scores on the ground during his three-year varsity career.
Given his ability to make defenders miss in open space, it’s likely Earle starts his career in the slot. However, he also possesses nice top-end speed and has the ability to serve as a vertical threat on the perimeter.
Regardless of whether Earle is able to break into Alabama’s offense for meaningful minutes this season, he should be in competition for the punt returner role previously occupied by Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
Today we begin our series by taking a look at a few true freshmen to watch in the coming year.
Agiye Hall, wide receiver
The hype surrounding Agiye Hall isn’t about to die down anytime soon. After introducing himself to Alabama fans with a breakout A-Day performance, the freshman receiver went viral with another highlight grab last week as he out-jumped Indianapolis Colts defensive back Isaiah Rodgers for a ball last week.
Hall flashed his acrobatics several times during the A-Day scrimmage, pulling in four receptions for 72 yards. The freshman’s first catch of the day came on a 37-yard gain where he secured a deep ball while falling backward over a defender. Later, Hall came away with perhaps the play of the game, recording a sideline snag over cornerback Ronald Williams Jr. where he outleaped the defender while managing to keep his left foot in bounds for a first down.
“He makes a lot of contested catches,” head coach Nick Saban said of Hall following A-Day. “He’s got great size. He’s got some explosive speed that I think we need. We need some guys to complement John Metchie when he gets back. We are pleased with his progress. He had a really good spring.”
Alabama brought in Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams to the mix earlier this month, adding a bit more speed and experience to the unit. The junior is an early favorite to land a first-team role alongside returning starters John Metchie III and Slade Bolden. However, Hall should still have plenty of opportunities to flash his big-play ability this fall.
Ga’Quincy McKinstry, defensive back
Offensive players tend to get the bulk of attention on A-Day, but Ga’Quincy McKinstry also managed to make a good first impression in front of the Alabama faithful last month. The five-star freshman defensive back recorded the interception that set up the White team’s game-winning field goal drive and also recorded a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and three tackles during the scrimmage.
McKinstry, a Pinson Valley, Ala. native, came to the Tide as the top player in the state as well as the top cornerback in the nation. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound defensive back has the size and athleticism Saban covets at the cornerback position and displayed constant improvement over the spring.
“Every day Coach Saban gets on him about getting better and he feeds off of it,” safety Jordan Battle said following the A-Day game. “Every day he gets better with trying to get things corrected and today showed that he’s made a lot of improvement and he made a lot of plays out there.”
Alabama loses just one member of last year’s secondary as All-American cornerback Patrick Surtain II made his way to the NFL last month. While Jalyn Armour-Davis filled that opening this spring, McKinstry has the talent to push the redshirt junior for playing time this fall.
J.C. Latham, offensive lineman
After losing three starters from last season, Alabama’s offensive line needs a bit of help. The unit struggled at times this spring and still needs to figure out the right grouping if it wants to reload for the coming year. However, there’s a reason Saban never lost his optimism during camp.
JC Latham highlights a talented incoming crop of linemen which also includes fellow five-star tackle Tommy Brockermeyer as well as James Brockermeyer, TJ Ferguson and Jaeden Roberts. Latham, 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, arrived at Alabama this year as the top tackle and No. 2 overall player in this year’s class. The five-star talent lined up at right tackle for the second-team offense during the A-Day scrimmage and figures to be a serious candidate to fight for the starting role at that position this fall.
Alabama started Kendall Randolph at right tackle on the first-team during the A-Day game. The redshirt senior certainly has a leg up in terms of experience over Latham. However, Saban has shown several times in the past that he isn’t afraid to play young talent. Latham arguably has the highest upside of any of Alabama’s young linemen. If he’s able to continue his improvement over the summer, he could make a strong case for first-team minutes during fall camp.
Deontae Lawson, inside linebacker
Alabama’s linebacking corps is crowded, especially after the addition of Tennessee transfer Henry To’o To’o earlier this month. However, Deontae Lawson figures to be a hard player to keep off the field for long.
The Rivals100 freshman recorded four tackles, including one for a loss, with two pass breakups and a fumble recovery during Alabama’s A-Day game last month. Donning the No. 32 jersey previously worn by Dylan Moses, Lawson looks to offer the same athleticism as the Tide’s leading tackler last season.
It will be interesting to see how Alabama’s depth at inside linebacker plays out. Christian Harris is a near lock to retain his starting spot from last season while To’o To’o and Jaylen Moody will likely battle for the starting spot next to him. Lawson will also have to compete with Shane Lee, who started during his freshman season in 2019, as well as a five-star talent in Demouy Kennedy.
In recent years, several of Alabama’s star linebackers have begun their careers on special teams. Lawson looks destined to follow that route next season, but he’s certainly one to watch on defense moving forward.
“Deontae Lawson, man, he’s a freshman that just came in here and he’s been improving a lot,” Moody said following the A-Day game. “Been learning, been making tremendous improvement every day, coming to work every day, asking all the questions that he needs to make sure that he learns the playbook. ... He’s gonna keep improving, and we’re gonna keep going so that we can have him ready for the upcoming season.”
JoJo Earle, wide receiver
It might be hard for JoJo Earle to break into Alabama’s offense right away given that he missed out on valuable reps this spring. However, the dynamic receiver should be able to contribute in some fashion during his freshman season.
Earle is set to inject some speed and shiftiness into Alabama’s receiving corps when he joins the team this summer. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound receiver was rated as the No. 41 overall player and No. 5 player at his position in this year’s class. Earle comes from Aledo High School in Texas, which supplied the Tide with running back Jase McClellan last year. Like McClellan, Earle is a constant big-play threat, combining for 4,984 yards of total offense while recording 39 touchdowns through the air and 26 more scores on the ground during his three-year varsity career.
Given his ability to make defenders miss in open space, it’s likely Earle starts his career in the slot. However, he also possesses nice top-end speed and has the ability to serve as a vertical threat on the perimeter.
Regardless of whether Earle is able to break into Alabama’s offense for meaningful minutes this season, he should be in competition for the punt returner role previously occupied by Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
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