Alabama Football: After Sanders injury Tide defense scheme may shift

Alabama Football is down another outside linebacker this weekend. Chris Allen’s replacement, Drew Sanders had surgery for a hand injury incurred against Ole Miss. He is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks.

As Alabama football fans know, over the last few seasons, the Crimson Tide’s primary defensive formation is nickel, giving it three cornerbacks to match most current offenses. An option for that formation is nickel rabbits, employing two outside linebackers, two inside linebackers, two defensive linemen and five secondary players. The rabbits package with Will Anderson Jr. on one side and Chris Allen on the other became less threatening after Allen was replaced by Drew Sanders.

Sanders is a good player and the dropoff was not much in terms of getting after quarterbacks. Sanders has the size to replace Allen, with similar height and weight, though perhaps not the same in strength. The sophomore has played well as a starter.

The guy behind Sanders in the depth chart is freshman, Dallas Turner. Turner is of complementary size, but he has been in the Tide’s strength and conditioning program for only a few months. Turner was a 5-Star recruit in the 2021 class. In the 247Sports Composite, Turner was rated as the No. 1 edge rusher and the No. 9 player overall. Not an early enrollee, Turner has seen little action, early in his Alabama football career.

Alabama Football: Tide goes to its 5-Star bench

On Wednesday, Nick Saban said the ‘next up’ guys to fill in for Sanders will likely be Turner or sophomore Chris Braswell.

"They don’t have a lot of experience.  But Dallas Turner is a good young player, and he’s probably gonna get more opportunity, as well as Chris Braswell, at that position, and those guys have played some. But they’re obviously gonna get more opportunity now."

Braswell was also a 5-Star, in the 2020 class. He was rated the No. 2 weakside end in the class and the No. 19 player overall. Braswell’s play has been limited because on the depth chart, he backs up Will Anderson Jr.

What Saban and Pete Golding (and Sal Sunseri)  decide to do, might be to reduce the Tide’s use of the nickel rabbits package and play another defensive lineman instead. The most undependable parts of Jimbo Fisher’s offense have been his offensive line and quarterback, Zach Calzada. Jimbo’s three best offensive weapons are running back Isaiah Spiller, tight end Jalen Wydermyer and running back Devon Achane. Situationally, a 3-3-5 might be the better defense for the Crimson Tide.

Not many college football programs can lose a Chris Allen and his former 5-Star replacement and have two more former 5-Stars waiting to step up. That is how Alabama Football rolls under Nick Saban.