Alabama Football: 3 breakout candidates for season opener vs. Missouri

Alabama football will see some new faces in their game vs. Missouri.

We know what to expect for most of the Alabama football team. Najee Harris will juke and hurdle his way through the defense. DeVonta Smith will tear apart cornerbacks. Dylan Moses will wreak havoc all over the field. However, there will be some new players to keep an eye on in 2020.

These breakout candidates have a great chance to be studs by the end of the year. However, they have to work their way up the ladder during early games. Before they become household names, they have to be breakout stars. These are some potential breakout candidates against Missouri.

Alabama football breakout candidates

Will Anderson

True freshmen used to never start in their first games for Alabama football, but that seems to no longer be the case. Will Anderson was listed as the JACK linebacker after fall camp. The good news for Tide fans is that he did not win the position by default. Alabama has plenty of great players up front, and he beat them to earn the starting role. He could lead the team in sacks by the end of the year, and this will be Alabama’s first glimpse of him in an actual game.

Fans are probably tired of hearing people rave about this player, but he has the talent to live up to the absurd amount of hype. His name will be in every conversation about Alabama’s game by the end of the weekend.

Evan Neal

Evan Neal is making the switch from guard to tackle on Alabama’s offensive line. He’s next in line to start at left tackle one day, but he will have to prove himself on the right side as a true sophomore.

It’s always a good sign when young players start at guard and switch to tackle. It usually means that they were too talented to leave on the bench. He could have started at tackle last year, but Alabama had one of the best tackle duos in college football.

Everyone loves talking about Alabama’s offensive tackles. Neal won’t be any different. If he gives Mac Jones a clean pocket, he could be considered a bonafide star by the end of the month.

Christian Harris

Christian Harris started in 2019 out of necessity. He had a ton of pressure on his shoulders as a true freshman without Dylan Moses in the lineup. Now that Moses and Joshua McMillon are back, Harris can let them call the plays while he makes them. Another offseason in the Alabama football program should help Harris become more of an instinctive player, and he should thrive in that role.

It’s hard to be an inside linebacker in Nick Saban’s defense. Harris showed flashes of talent last year, but his football knowledge needed to expand. Those expectations are smaller with Moses back on the field, and Harris can focus on making some big plays.

Every aspect of Alabama football‘s season opener will be analyzed. These three players have a chance to come out of the weekend as breakout stars.