Alabama football shouldn’t worry about inexperience
Experience matters in college football. More often than not, teams filled with upperclassmen rise above the rest over the course of a strenuous journey to the College Football Playoff. For Alabama football, this is a non-factor.
Alabama has seen plenty of talent come and go over the Nick Saban era, but nothing compares to losing everyone from the 2020 team. Alabama will have a new quarterback, running back, two receivers, three offensive linemen, linebacker, defensive tackle and corner starting for the Tide. The starters leaving were also elite in college, so the production will simply not be the same.
Still, Alabama football doesn’t have to worry about experience. This is because of a few things. First and foremost, Alabama’s training program is the best in the country. Players work harder at practice than they do at games. From a physical standpoint, they should be more than ready in 2021.
Also, Alabama recruits the best players. There’s nuance to how the Tide recruit, but they plan ahead for when they’ll need a starter at a specific position. That’s how the Tide almost always have upperclassmen ready to start. When this happens, Alabama uses players who have experience preparing for SEC teams at practice, and they should be ready to take over once it is their time.
Also, it helps when you recruit the best talent already. Many players need at least two years to prepare to play college football at a high level. If you’re good enough to play for Alabama football, you already have a pretty high floor. There’s room for growth, but you shouldn’t be a liability as a freshman. Just ask Malachi Moore or Will Anderson.
The other crucial reason why Alabama shouldn’t worry about experience is that many players get reps before they start. When Alabama wins blowout games, they give an opportunity to the second team. That might not seem like much in the moment, but that helps build awareness and confidence before they become starters for the Crimson Tide. After all, Bryce Young took snaps in the national championship game before becoming an official starter.
There will be plenty of new faces for Alabama football, but that doesn’t mean the Crimson Tide have to worry about the lack of experience.