Alabama Football: Updated roster weights for Tide players are telling

Alabama football has published its annual roster update and the listed weight changes for some players are strong clues to their 2019 contribution.

The newly updated Alabama football roster shows weight changes for quite a few players. The changes are in both directions with added and lost weight. Not every change is significant but several are and those may indicate a primary position for players and how much future playing time.

At the end of this post, we’ll list some weight changes that are question marks. First, let’s dive into the ones that appear to be important improvements. The complete updated roster is available at rolltide.com.

Most Valuable Weight Changes

• Christian Barmore – The redshirt freshman defensive lineman came to Tuscaloosa well south of 290 pounds. It was not near enough on his 6-feet-5 frame. As a recruit, he was valued for quickness and speed, but he needed more bulk. Last season, he was listed at 292 pounds and now he is listed at 310 pounds. Our prediction is he will be a have a major role in the defensive line rotation this fall.
• Eyabi Anoma – Much has been made about Anoma not quickly grasping the Tide’s defensive schemes. His playing time has been so limited he jumped into the transfer portal before Nick Saban helped him understand a transfer would be a mistake. He arrived in Tuscaloosa at less than 235 pounds. Last season he was listed at 245 pounds. Now he is at 252 pounds. He will likely play at around 265 before the end of his Alabama football career. At 252, he is nearing the weight needed to add run stopping to edge rushing and become a three-down player.
• Ale Kaho – Kaho has moved from a listed weight of 218 to 224. That is still light for an inside linebacker, but he is moving in the right direction.
• Phidarian Mathis – Mathis is a candidate to anchor the defensive line interior in 2019. He is up from 310 pounds to 317.
• Daniel Wright – Wright has been thin throughout his Alabama football career. Still a hard hitter, he needed more weight to avoid injury at safety. He moved from 185 pounds to 190.
• On the offensive line, Alex Leatherwood added six pounds to get to 310. Jedrick Wills added seven pounds to reach 316.
• Wide receivers, Henry Ruggs III added seven pounds to reach 190. Jaylen Waddle went from 177 pounds to 182. Xavier Williams added 13 pounds to reach 195 pounds.

Less Conclusive Weight Changes

• Ben Davis added 22 pounds to reach 258. His career gives no clue to what this means.
• Tyrell Shavers lost 11 pounds, down to 205. At 6-feet-6, Shavers needed to gain weight in our opinion.
• Jarez Parks is down 12 pounds to 239, which like Shavers appears to be a move in the wrong direction.
• Michael Parker is listed as down from 224 pounds to 216. Unless he is becoming a wide receiver, this does not match a tight end weight.

Raekwon Davis and Anfernee Jennings both trimmed off seven pounds which seems a non-issue for their playing ability. Perhaps Jennings might gain some slight speed as a result.

Even when we cannot explain the weight changes, we know the Alabama football staff has a plan for every player. We doubt the staff is surprised by any of the weight changes.