Alabama Football: Alabama’s biggest 2022 concern

What should worry Alabama football fans?

When you look back at the start of the 2021 season, Alabama football had a lot of concerns. They had to replace most of their offensive line, and Najee Harris was now in the NFL. Bryce Young had all the talent in the world, but he still had to prove himself. The Tide also lost two first-round receivers and a few key contributors on defense.

Despite these concerns, Alabama football showed improvement in 2021 and still made it to the national championship. They lost, but the growth the roster experienced was impressive.

Alabama will see plenty of stars from last year’s team head to the NFL once again, so it is natural to have concerns regarding the 2022 roster. However, the Tide might be improving in a few areas. For example, they landed a stud transfer at cornerback, and the depth will continue to develop. Adding an elite running back will fill the void left by Brian Robinson, and most of the defense is returning. When you add the return of Bryce Young and Will Anderson, Alabama football looks stacked.

So, what is the biggest concern regarding the Tide’s 2022 title hopes? It’s the same question we had about them in 2021. Can the offensive line improve enough to consistently protect Bryce Young? In the worst performances last season, Young had no time to make a play. He had to scramble consistently, and there was too much pressure on him to make an amazing play under duress.

Alabama has to replace Evan Neal, which will be hard to do. The real question is if anyone from the elite 2021 recruiting class can come in and start. Whether J.C. Latham starts at tackle or kicks in to guard for a year, there will be an opportunity for him to play.

We’ll have to wait and see, but the development of the offensive line should be Alabama football’s focal point this offseason.