In a critical offseason for Alabama Football, the Crimson Tide is fortunate to have some high-quality senior leaders that have extensive game experience.
Some are true seniors, who joined Alabama in the class of 2020. It feels like those players’ careers have flown by, as if they were just freshmen yesterday. However, they have accumulated a wide array of college football experiences, from the 2020 national championship to the relative lows of 2022.
Others are even older, having been the beneficiaries of redshirt years, injury waivers, or pandemic eligibility. These seniors will help guide the young talent on the team, and will hopefully bring the program back to the college football mountaintop.
Alabama Football Senior no. 5: Will Reichard
Kicker Will Reichard returns to Tuscaloosa for his fifth season, and will have the opportunity to cement his legacy at Alabama.
In most cases, the importance of a returning kicker is marginal at best. In Reichard’s case, it is massive. He has already established himself as one of the best and most reliable kickers in school history.
On a team that will have a new starting quarterback and replace the majority of its starting defense, special teams stability means that much more.
Alabama Football Senior no. 4: Jase McClellan
Running back Jase McClellan will finally get his shot at being the head of the snake in the Crimson Tide backfield. He finally enjoyed a fully healthy season as a junior in 2022, but largely played behind Jahmyr Gibbs.
By the end of the year, the two had become more of a duo, and McClellan finished the season with 829 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns.
Jase McClellan is a well-rounded back and should be a featured player in the Crimson Tide offense this year. He wasn’t exceptionally quick or explosive in 2022, but that could change this fall as he will be another year away from the ACL injury he suffered his sophomore year.
He runs with good power for his size, has the long speed to go the distance, and is a good receiver out of the backfield. McClellan’s toughest job in 2023 may be fending off a slew of supremely talented young running backs.
Alabama Football Senior no. 3: Chris Braswell
This feels like a potential breakout season for Alabama edge rusher Chris Braswell. Braswell will always be compared to Will Anderson Jr., as they both came to Tuscaloosa as similarly-rated 5-stars in the 2020 recruiting class.
It goes without saying that Anderson Jr. has been the better player between the two, but the potential is still there in Chris Braswell.
While Anderson Jr. was a freak who was ready to be a starter his first day on campus, Braswell has taken a more natural trajectory as a college football player. He needed a couple years just to gain enough weight to compete in the trenches, and now he is one of the strongest players on the team pound-for-pound.
After coming out of high school at 220 pounds, Braswell is currently listed at 255 pounds, and was squatting over 700 pounds last summer. He finally flashed as a pass rusher in 2022, picking up 2.5 sacks in rotational snaps.
If he can also be a force against the run, he will be an every-down contributor on the Alabama defense.
Alabama Football Senior no. 2: Justin Eboigbe
Justin Eboigbe returns for a fifth season after suffering a season-ending neck injury last season.
He is an experienced presence on the Crimson Tide defensive line, and has generated solid production in each of his four years. He is now the undisputed senior leader of a position group that likely has more talented players like senior Tim Smith and sophomore Jaheim Oatis.
The Tide is searching for a true star along the defensive front, and it could very well be the fifth-year senior. Regardless, Eboigbe’s guidance among this group will be just as or more important than his statistical production.
Alabama Football Senior no. 1: Malachi Moore
It has been well-documented that the Alabama secondary is taking a disproportionate number of losses to the NFL Draft.
Nickel Brian Branch and safety DeMarcco Hellams both started for two-plus seasons, while safety Jordan Battle was a four-year starter on the back end. All three depart, meaning competition is wide open in the Crimson Tide secondary.
Malachi Moore, who returns for his senior year, can play any of the aforementioned positions.
As a true freshman in 2020, Moore looked like the next superstar defensive back in Tuscaloosa. This prophecy never came to fruition; the next two years saw Moore get usurped by Brian Branch while battling multiple injuries.
2023 is shaping up to be a bounce-back year for the defensive back that, when healthy, has displayed game-changing skills as a ballhawk. Bama sorely missed that turnover-generating playmaker in the secondary in 2022.
Malachi Moore will have every opportunity to assume that role and restore his NFL Draft stock this fall.