Alabama Football: 3 sneaky storylines for the Crimson Tide in 2020

We are used to Alabama football carrying the storylines in the fall, but which topics are not getting enough coverage for the Crimson Tide?

It’s a tale as old as time. Alabama football is near the top of college football, and they carry every headline worth mentioning. They’re in the Heisman discussion, the CFP talk, and anything else you could think of. However, the top storylines don’t always dictate the success of Alabama football.

The Crimson Tide have plenty of things worth mentioning for their 2020 season, but here are some sneaky storylines that Alabama fans should keep an eye on.

How will the defensive line shape up?

Alabama football lost two outside linebackers and an interior defensive lineman from last season’s starting lineup. With all of this talent gone, it will be vital for plenty of players to step up in their pass rush.

DJ Dale was a freshman starter last season at defensive tackle, so Alabama football fans should be hoping that he has a sophomore surge. There are also players like Christian Barmore and LaBryan Ray will be added to the mix on the defensive line. At outside linebacker, Chris Allen needs to finally live up to the hype. They also have plenty of incoming freshmen, so it will be interesting to see who shoots up the depth chart once all players can finally make it onto campus.

Will the freshmen improve in their sophomore seasons?

On defense, Alabama football had too many freshmen in pivotal roles. The entire interior of the defense was filled with underclassmen. This, paired with the time of possession that Alabama had to be on defense, led to an incredibly weak defense by the Crimson Tide’s standards. The growth of these players into their sophomore seasons will correlate to the defense succeeding in 2020.

With Dylan Moses back, only one linebacker needs to be good enough to add depth. My best guess will be Christian Harris, but Shane Lee will also be expected to share reps.

What can we expect from Will Reichard?

Alabama football has been desperate for a kicker since before Saban stepped onto campus. They have had players who were decent, but none have been in the top tier of the SEC. The only former Tide player in the NFL who uses their leg is JK Scott, Green Bay’s punter. Will Reichard was supposed to be this superstar kicker for the Tide, but he had a spotty year before being injured. All Alabama fans have been hoping for a kicker that they can count on, so it will be interesting to see if Reichard finally becomes that player.

There are still plenty of storylines that will make the front page. People will be talking about Najee Harris’s Heisman hype, Dylan Moses’s return to college, and the quarterback battle between Mac Jones and Bryce Young. These talking points won’t make the headlines, but they will dictate whether or not Alabama football has a successful 2020 season.