TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Now that Alabama is at the midway point of its preseason camp, we have a better look at how its roster could shape up for the Sept. 1 season-opener against Louisville.
The Crimson Tide’s front seven seems to be set as Raekwon Davis, Quinnen Williams and Isaiah Buggs man the three defensive line positions, while Christian Miller and Anfernee Jennings serve in the Sam and Jack linebacker spots with Mack Wilson and Dylan Moses as the middle linebackers. Alabama’s starting three at receiver also seems settled, and, while crowded, so does its stable of running backs.
However, with 10 preseason practices to go, there are still several positions up for grabs. Today we look at some of the battles to watch from now until the start of the season.
Quarterback
Contenders: Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa
How things look: Following Alabama’s first preseason scrimmage Saturday, head coach Nick Saban said the battle between Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa is still ongoing. Although, given the information gathered from the closed practice, it will be interesting if that remains the case for long.
According to several sources in attendance, Tagovailoa vastly outperformed Hurts on the day. Most reports had Tagovailoa throwing four touchdowns with no interceptions, while Hurts failed to find the end zone and turned the ball over on multiple occasions. If the reports are accurate, it would mark the second straight scrimmage that Hurts was shut out of the end zone. The junior completed 19 of 37 passes for 195 yards and an interception during the A-Day game this spring.
Hurts’ inability to take care of the football is concerning given that he only threw one interception in 254 attempts last season. Two years ago, he beat out Blake Barnett and Cooper Bateman for the starting job, partly because of his ability to avoid mistakes.
Meanwhile, all the momentum seems to be on Tagovailoa’s side. The sophomore appears to have bounced back nicely after breaking a bone in his throwing hand this spring. If he can maintain this level of execution for the remainder of camp, he should be the favorite to land the starting role.
Projected winner: Tua Tagovailoa
Right tackle
Contenders: Alex Leatherwood, Matt Womack and Jedrick Wills
How things look: Last week, this appeared to be a question of whether Alex Leatherwood would hold off returning starter Matt Womack. However, Alabama added another wrinkle to the competition by moving Jedrick Wills to tackle while switching Leatherwood to guard.
It’s unknown whether or not this week’s switch is merely experimental or if it has something to do with how the competition is shaping up. Both Leatherwood and Wills were recruited as tackles coming out of high school, but Alabama has a history of moving tackles to inside positions to make sure the best five players are on the field.
“Generally across the board, no offense to interior guys, but a lot of times tackles are more athletic players, a little bit quicker, and sometimes it’s beneficial to have that on the inside as well,” left tackle Jonah Williams said. “You don’t see a lot of interior guys moving out. You kind of see it going in the other direction. I don’t know if there’s any philosophy about that. The way we look at it is we want the five best guys however it unfolds and we want guys to be comfortable at the positions they are at.”
Projected winner: Alex Leatherwood
Right guard
Contenders: Jedrick Wills, Alex Leatherwood and Deonte Brown
How things look: Like the battle at right tackle, this one looked different before the start of this week. It’ll be interesting to see how Leatherwood picks up the guard position if Alabama moves in that direction. The former five-star has worked primarily at tackle since joining the team as an early enrollee last year.
Right now it would appear that Wills and Leatherwood are the favorites to land starting roles at either the guard or tackle position. However, Alabama has plenty of competition in the unit. One player who has made a significant improvement this offseason is Deonte Brown, who looks much leaner than in recent years. The redshirt sophomore is one of Alabama’s strongest players and would offer a big push in the run game. Another dark horse in the competition is Joshua Casher. Though undersized at 6-foot-1, 290 pounds, the redshirt senior has been working with the second unit and could add veteran leadership.
Projected winner: Jedrick Wills
Cornerbacks
Contenders: Trevon Diggs, Saivion Smith, Shyheim Carter, Patrick Surtain II, Josh Jobe
How things look: Alabama runs primarily out of the nickel formation on defense, making the standard two-cornerback set a rarity. So far during camp, Trevon Diggs and Savion Smith have been the two outside cornerbacks used on the first unit during any type of team drills. Shyheim Carter has also had an impressive camp and is one of the Crimson Tide’s most versatile defenders but has featured primarily at the Star position as Alabama’s fifth defensive back in its nickel package.
It’s impossible to ignore Alabama’s talented youth at the position as well. Five-star freshman Patrick Surtain II was the No. 1 cornerback in the 2018 class and can play both outside and against the slot. Alabama has also used Josh Jobe as an outside cornerback on its second team as well as fellow freshman Jayln Armour-Davis. All three newcomers have the ability to contribute right away at the next level.
Projected winner: Trevon Diggs and Saivion Smith
Star
Contenders: Shyheim Carter, Patrik Surtain II and Kyriq McDonald
How things look: As stated above, Carter has taken most of the reps at Star during team drills in practice. The 6-foot, 195-pound defensive back has the body to go up against more physical defenders across the middle but was also seen at outside corner when Alabama worked out of its base formation in the open practice two weeks ago.
“Shyheim’s a smart football player. He knows formations in and out,” safety Deionte Thompson said. “He knows by a receiver’s alignment what they’re going to do, and he’s a veteran in the secondary, too. He’s been here for a long time, and he knows what’s going on out there.”
Carter had multiple interceptions during the open practice and reportedly picked off Hurts during Saturday’s scrimmage. Right now, he’s a safe bet to land a starting role. Although, if he were to switch to outside corner, Alabama also has plenty of options to fill the Star role. Surtain, 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, also has the size needed and has worked primarily inside during team drills. Redshirt freshman Kyriq McDonald, 5-foot-11, 197 pounds, is also a name to keep an eye on.
Projected winner: Shyheim Carter
