Alabama Football: Pre-Fall Camp Depth Chart
By Ronald Evans
Check out this Alabama football fall camp depth chart that includes some summer enrollees who may join the two-deep this season.
Nick Saban hates it but Alabama football fans cannot wait until game week for a depth chart.
The format we provide defines a two-deep as much as possible. It also includes observations of other players who could break into a later two-deep.
In some position groups, game rotations make second team players regulars, gaining almost as many snaps as starters. Combining all the variations of offensive and defensive sets, Alabama football could be considered to have as many as 40 starters.
The situational rotations reinforce a frequent Saban refrain – “Don’t worry about the depth chart.” But we Alabama football fans worry about it anyway. Here is our best guess at the start of fall camp.
2018 Quarterback
Starter: Jalen Hurts or Tua Tagovailoa
Backup: Mac Jones
The Alabama football QB situation is more than fluid. Until recently it could be called volatile. The volatility went away when Jalen Hurts told Nick Saban he plans to graduate from the University of Alabama in December. For those wondering, most January academic calendars would allow Jalen to continue with the Tide through the CFB Playoff and enroll at a new school in January.
We still believe Nick Saban wants to open the season with a two-QB system. He can use most of September and October to allow the starting job to become cemented in games.
How or will the new redshirt rule affect the use of Jalen Hurts in unknown. He and Nick Saban may have discussed it. Jalen may be content, restricting his post-transfer career at another school to one season. He may never transfer.
Running Back
Starter: Damien Harris
Backups: Najee Harris, Josh Jacobs and Brian Robinson
Running back is a rotation position for Alabama football. Four players will be in the 2018 rotation: Damien Harris, Najee Harris; Josh Jacobs and Brian Robinson. Damien Harris will be a team leader in 2018.
Najee Harris will come close to matching Damien’s touches. Josh Jacobs and Brian Robinson will share what remains in the running back distribution. Jacobs and Robinson are good enough to be starters at several SEC schools. Insiders report the coaching staff is very high on Robinson. Some even suggest he is the most complete back of the group.
If all four remain healthy throughout the season, Jacobs and Robinson will get less action than their talents deserve. Waiting for a turn is routine for Alabama football. It would also be unusual for all of them to stay healthy enough to play in every game.