Alabama Football: Several players up for major awards

As it prepares for the College Football Playoff, Alabama Football has several players up for major national postseason awards.

Within the team, redshirt sophomore quarterback Jalen Milroe, junior outside linebacker Dallas Turner, and senior defensive back Malachi Moore were voted as permanent team captains by their peers at Bama’s annual awards banquet, which took place the day after its SEC Championship game victory.

Alabama Football: National Awards Finalists

Senior kicker Will Reichard, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, was named a finalist for the Lou Groza place-kicking Award. Many believe that Reichard was robbed of the award after his perfect season during Bama’s 2020 national championship campaign, so it would be poetic justice for Reichard to go out with another natty and the Groza in his final year in Tuscaloosa.

Reichard is 20-23 on field goal attempts this season, including three 50+ yarders and a long of 51. He also filled in admirably as a punter on a couple occasions when James Burnip was down, pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line on three of his six tries.

Junior edge Dallas Turner was named a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award for the most outstanding defensive player in college football. Bama’s own Will Anderson Jr. took home the Bednarik in 2022, so a Turner win would be a back-to-back sweep for the Alabama Football edge room. Turner has posted an impressive stat line of 50 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and 13 hurries.

Safety Caleb Downs is a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award after leading Alabama Football with 99 tackles, adding two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Will Anderson Jr. also won this award back in 2020.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe was named a finalist for the Manning Quarterback Award for his dual-threat performance this season. This award will take into account bowl performances and will be officially announced after the season in January.

Redshirt senior defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe has had an incredible season, especially considering his football career was left in question after a neck injury that required surgery ended his 2022 campaign.

Eboigbe is a finalist for the Comeback Player of the Year award after posting 60 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 7.0 sacks. This is arguably the best season for an Alabama interior defensive lineman since Quinnen Williams earned first-team All-American honors and became a top-3 draft pick way back in the 2018 season.

Remarkably, Bama has no representatives in the Jim Thorpe Award finalists for the nation’s top defensive back. Alabama arguably has the best secondary in college football, featuring future first-round cornerbacks Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold. True freshman safety Caleb Downs and nickel back Malachi Moore have also been among in the best in the country at their respective positions.

Alabama Football All-SEC Competitors

AP First team All-SEC

• Junior offensive tackle JC Latham
• Sophomore offensive guard Tyler Booker
• Junior outside linebacker Dallas Turner
• Junior cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry
• Senior kicker Will Reichard
• Junior long snapper Kneeland Hibbett was voted first-team All-SEC by the Coaches*

AP Second team All-SEC

• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jalen Milroe
• Redshirt senior defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe
• Senior outside linebacker Chris Braswell
• Freshman safety Caleb Downs
• Redshirt sophomore cornerback Terrion Arnold
• Junior punter James Burnip was voted first-team All-SEC by the Coaches*

The Crimson Tide, as usual, will be well-represented in this season’s awards shows.