It might be hard to believe, but we're already halfway through the regular season. Alabama has played six of its 12 scheduled games, compiling a 5-1 record after last week's heartbreaking loss to Georgia.
The college football season always races by while the offseason drags on for what feels like an eternity.
With Tennessee looming this weekend, now is as good a time as any to take a look at a few Alabama players who have exceeded preseason expectations while looking at others who haven't had the season they - or others - envisioned for them so far.
Stock Up: RB Trae'shawn Brown
As we got further and further into fall camp, it became obvious that freshman Trae'shawn Brown was going to have a role. But he's even exceeded what was believed headed into Week 1 against East Carolina, and he's far outperformed his 3-star recruiting ranking.
After a 90-yard performance against Georgia last weekend, Brown has leaped ahead of junior Daniel Hill for the Crimson Tide's lead in rushing yards. He's up to 301 yards and five touchdowns on a 5.9-yard-per-carry average. Those numbers would look even better if he didn't have two long touchdown runs called back this season on questionable holding calls.
Alabama's running back room is much better than it was last season, with Brown and fellow freshman EJ Crowell providing an influx of talent, and Hill being a steady veteran presence.
Stock Down: RB AK Dear
This isn't totally fair to AK Dear because the sophomore was forced to miss the first three games of the season with an injury he suffered in the first scrimmage of fall camp, but he's yet to make an impact since returning. He has carried the ball just twice this season for six yards.
Dear was headed for a big role pre-injury, at least so it seemed. Word from fall camp was that he had taken a leap and was the most impressive RB in practice. But with how well the backs played in his absence, finding carries for another player has been challenging, and opportunity has yet to knock for the sophomore.
That doesn't mean it won't over the second half of the season, though.
Stock Up: WR Rico Scott
Rico Scott took full advantage of the injury to NC State transfer Noah Rogers in spring practice and refused to let go. Scott has started each game this year, despite many assuming he was heading toward being surpassed by younger receivers like Derek Meadows and Cederian Morgan, just as happened to him last year with Lotzeir Brooks.
But Scott has been super steady for the Crimson Tide both as a receiver and blocker. He's third on the team in receiving yards with 224 yards on 18 receptions, and second in receiving touchdowns with three.
His value as a blocker on the edge has been immeasurable, too. With Ryan Coleman-Williams likely to be sidelined this weekend, Scott could see an increased target share against Tennessee.
Stock Down: CB Dijon Lee
It hasn't been the sophomore season for Dijon Lee that anybody expected. He was a standout as a freshman, and preseason expectations were that he and Zabien Brown would make up one of the top CB duos in college football.
Instead, Lee has been a consistent liability and is a big part of the reason Alabama ranks 105th in the country in yards per pass attempt allowed. To make matters worse, he had a total meltdown at the end of the Georgia game that resulted in a personal foul penalty and an automatic first down that allowed the Bulldogs to run the rest of the clock out.
Kane Wommack preached accountability for that during his Monday press conference, so it wouldn't be surprising to see a shakeup at corner this weekend.
Stock Up: DL Kedrick Bingley-Jones
Kedrick Bingley-Jones was an under-the-radar pickup in the Transfer Portal for Alabama. Most assumed he would be, at best, a rotational option for the Crimson Tide. Instead, Bingley-Jones has been one of the most important players up front, emerging as a starter in the middle and producing 17 tackles and half a sack.
He's almost matched his production from last season in Starkville through half a season in Tuscaloosa.
With Terrance Green banged up, Bingley-Jones could play an even more important role this weekend against Tennessee.
Stock Down: DL Edric Hill
Edric Hill has struggled to get on the field consistently this season in Alabama's defensive line rotation. The portal additions of Devan Thompkins, Green, and Bingley-Jones knocked Hill down the pecking order, and after some promising tape from a year ago, he hasn't made much of an impact so far this season.
Perhaps with some injuries up front, Hill will have an opportunity in the coming weeks to earn more reps and showcase his ability.
Add us as a preferred source on Google