Fall camp starts soon and Alabama football fans want answers to six important, team questions before Louisville game week.
Alabama football fans have questions and the answers will not come soon enough. We’ll leave the ongoing starting QB question to Nick Saban and his staff. There are other issues that will have an impact of success in the 2018 season. In a three-part series, we will review six more, also important questions.
The six questions are: which three linebackers will backup Moses and Wilson; will the new secondary have dependable backups; who replaces Da’Ron Payne to anchor the interior defensive line; which three wideouts rotate with Jeudy, Smith and Ruggs III; who starts on the offensive line among Womack, Cotton and Leatherwood; and can a new dual-kicker pair be counted on for pressure field goals.
Obviously, that is a bunch of questions for one post. We will take them on two-at-a-time in three days of posts.
Backup Inside Linebackers
At inside linebacker, Alabama football is fortunate to have two of the best in Mack Wilson and Dylan Moses. If they can stay healthy for 15 games, Alabama football is in great shape. On the flip side, what happens if one or both go down? That possibility is scaring Crimson Tide fans.
No Holcombe and no Cowan creates a serious depth problem. Prior to Terrell Lewis’ injury, the plan was to add Christian Miller to the ILB mix. That may still happen, but it is no longer an obvious solution. The good news is insiders report two youngsters have impressed this summer.
Redshirt freshman, Markail Benton and true freshman, Jaylen Moody have not worked in pads yet. In conditioning, lifting and defensive scheme sessions, the pair have impressed. The development of Benton is not surprising. Even if Cowan and Holcombe were still on the team, insiders believe Benton would be the first sub at ILB.
Moody (so far) is a welcome surprise. Moody was the least-heralded recruit in the 2018 signing class. It is looking like his 3-Star rating was a recruiting expert miss. Apparently, he had to gain considerable ground academically before being given much notice. A way-too-early wild guess is, if Moses and Mack are suddenly both lost to injury, Moody will play a lot and maybe even start.
But four, and maybe five with Miller, is not a deep enough ILB bench. Josh McMillon and Ben Davis would be next in line on the current roster. McMillon can be a run stopper between the tackles. So far, he has not shown much else to his game. The enigma, Ben Davis, may blossom this fall. We can all hope.
It is not too late to add a graduate transfer. Finding one good enough, willing to compete to be second-team, will be difficult. A few days ago, we suggested Jamey Mosley might become an option inside rather than outside. Since then the new roster became public and unlike last spring at an estimated 248 pounds, Mosley is listed at 239 pounds. He has never had the frame and build to be a run-thumper. His new weight indicates he is not an option at ILB.
And that Alabama football fans, is the ILB picture. There are more questions than answers.
Who replaces Da’Ron Payne at nose?
Da’Ron Payne is a hard guy to replace. He had the complete package of size, strength, speed and smarts. Not to mention his pass-catching skills.
The good news is Alabama football has multiple great options to replace Payne. Most of the Crimson Tide front four can play inside or outside. Raekwon Davis will likely be one of CFB’s most dominant players next season. Even at 6-foot-7, Kwon can play the nose. So can Isaiah Buggs and Quinnen Williams. There are promising backups as well in former JUCO, Tevita Musika and redshirt freshman, Phidarian Mathis.
One of the reasons Alabama football will be free to move ends inside to play nose will be LaBryan Ray. The former 5-Star, sophomore end is up to 289 pounds and we expect him to play a key role in the 2018 defense. Ray has the potential to be a dominant player and it could happen as soon as this fall.
Insiders report Musika has already impressed his new teammates. Rumors circulated that last winter in CFB Playoff practices, Mathis had success against the first-team offensive line. Alabama football fans already know that Kwon, Buggs and Williams can play. Our way-too-early guess is Quinnen starts at nose. How good the 2018 defensive front can be will be answered by how well Musika and Mathis fit into a regular rotation up front.
Any defense returning only three starters will need time to gel. If Musika and Mathis progress well and if true freshman, Christian Barmore can be solid by November, maybe replacing Da’Ron will not be too difficult.
Next: 30 Great Tide Players who were 3-Star Recruits
Check back in with us the next two days. Each day we will address two more questions needing answers in fall camp.