Alabama Football: What we still need to know before Week 1

Alabama football still has a few questions

Two days away from the start of the Alabama football season, we know as much as we can regarding the Crimson Tide. The depth chart for Alabama’s opener has been released. Nick Saban has made plenty of comments regarding the team. The only thing left is to gear up and play the games.

Still, there are a few questions left unanswered for Alabama football before we can confidently predict how the 2021 season will go. These questions must be answered on the field, so we won’t have a clue until this Saturday.

What do we still need to know about the Crimson Tide this season?

What’s going on with Jahleel Billingsley?

Billingsley emerged as a great receiving option at tight end last year, and he was expected to be the starter in 2021. However, Saban has made some comments about him needing to commit to the program in order to live up to his potential. Saban’s comments have been intentionally vague, so we don’t know how this will impact the season. However, we do know that Billingsley isn’t listed as a starter for the season opener.

Alabama has Cameron Latu, another quality tight end. However, Billingsley was supposed to be an X-factor for Alabama football this year. Can he live up to the hype?

Life without Patrick Surtain

Alabama’s defense had some issues last year, but they were still one of the best in the SEC. That was partially because of Patrick Surtain. Surtain covers the mistakes of other players with his talent and athleticism.

Jalyn Armour-Davis will start for the Tide, and there’s no reason to fully believe he isn’t a great corner. Alabama also has depth behind him. However, we’ll have to see how the intangibles play out without one of the best corners in the Nick Saban era of Alabama football.

The offensive game plan

In the past, Alabama hasn’t changed the game plan much for a new quarterback. However, Young has an elite talent that has to be utilized. He makes the team better with both his arm and his legs. Keeping him in the pocket is simply wasting an opportunity.

We saw Young torch the defense in the A-Day Game, but that was in a game where he couldn’t scramble due to a no-contact jersey. In an actual game, will we see him run the ball more than before?

We’ll have answers to these questions soon, but they will play a pivotal role in determining Alabama’s 2021 success.