Alabama Football: Grading Tide’s depth by position before season starts
By Dakota Cox
Grading Alabama football’s depth at linebacker
Outside Linebacker: A
The outside linebacker depth is very similar to quarterback depth. Alabama has starters who will be good, but the young talent behind them has the potential to be great. Specifically, Will Anderson could produce as a true freshman. From strictly a bodies perspective, Alabama is fine at OLB.
Even when you lose both Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis, the Tide’s outside linebacker group is in strong hands. This position was so deep last year that Nick Saban moved Cameron Latu to tight end in hopes of seeing him on the field. Watch out for some freshmen to get early playing time, but Chris Allen and Ben Davis will receive the bulk of the snaps.
Inside Linebacker: B+
The inside linebacker depth was abysmal last season after injuries to Joshua McMillon and Dylan Moses, but that experience will help provide depth to the position in 2020. Christian Harris and Moses will likely start, leaving two players with starting experience behind them. Ale Kaho hasn’t panned out yet, but even he could be in the rotation this season.
While Shane Lee will likely be a second string inside linebacker, he feels like a situational player to me. Until he unhooks the trailer and gets some speed, he is a liability in pass coverage. He’s great at stopping the run, but you would love to see more versatility at inside linebacker. Alabama was forced to start him last year, and they would rather not be in that situation again.