Alabama Football: Per ESPN Crimson Tide dominates top players in CFB

See how ESPN values Alabama football players in ‘Top 50 Players’ ranking.

ESPN loves Alabama football. At least it does in its list of the Top 50 college football players for the 2020 season. ESPN puts out the list every fall and the latest will thrill Crimson Tide fans.

There are six Alabama football players on the ‘Top 50’ list. LSU and Ohio State have four each on the list and Texas has three. No other school has more than two. Among SEC schools, only five teams have players on the list. Joining the Crimson Tide are Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Mississippi State.

There is an oddity to the list. Making sense, Big Ten and Pac 12 players are included. But so are players opting out on the 2020 season. For example, Ja’Marr Chase of LSU is No. 5 even though his college career is over.

Drilling down a bit on the list shows the Alabama Crimson Tide dominance. In the list’s ‘Top 20’ players are all six Alabama football players. Among the other 14 players, Clemson, LSU, Oregon and Oklahoma State have two each. Take away Ja’Marr Chase from the LSU total, and the four schools combined have one more player inside the Top 20 than the Crimson Tide. That is nothing short of Tide dominance.

Alabama Football Players in ESPN Top 50

• No. 10 Patrick Surtain II
• No. 13 Devonta Smith
• No. 14 Najee Harris
• No. 18 Jaylen Waddle
• No. 19 Dylan Moses
• No. 20 Alex Leatherwood

For Alabama football fans looking to quibble with the list, look to the rankings by position. Surtain is the No. 2 cornerback, behind LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. Alex Leatherwood is the No. 3 offensive lineman, behind Penei Sewell of Oregon and Tennessee’s Trey Smith. Najee Harris is the No. 3 running back, behind Travis Etienne of Clemson and Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard. Dylan Moses is the No. 2 linebacker behind another player opting out; Micah Parsons of Penn State. Devonta Smith would the top-ranked wide receiver, if the opting out, Ja’Marr Chase was not included.

Other SEC players in the Top 50

• No. 2 – Derek Stingley Jr. (CB); LSU Bengal Tigers
• No. 5 – Ja’Marr Chase (WR); LSU Bengal Tigers
• No. 16 – Trey Smith (OT); Tennessee Volunteers
• No. 32 – Kylin Hill (RB); Mississippi State Bulldogs
• No. 38 – Richard LeCounte (S); Georgia Bulldogs
• No. 40 – Jabril Cox (LB); LSU Bengal Tigers
• No. 44 – Jamie Newman (QB); Georgia Bulldogs
• No. 50 – Jacoby Stevens (S); LSU Bengal Tigers

The complete ESPN Top 50 can be found here.

It is important to remember having the most elite players is not enough to win championships. It takes more talent, deep into a team roster.