Alabama's official Week 1 depth chart for ECU came with four surprising developments

It wasn't known for sure if Kalen DeBoer and Alabama would release a depth chart this week or if the reveal would happen shortly before game time, when it was given to the credentialed media in attendance for the Tide's season opener against East Carolina.

But on Friday, Alabama's NIL entity - Yea-Alabama - released the official depth chart:

With the release came a few surprises. Let's dig into the four that immediately came to mind:

1. A four-way tie for RB1

It was assumed throughout fall camp that junior Daniel Hill would be listed alone as Alabama's RB1, but while he's got top billing, it comes with the OR designation. Trae'shawn Brown, Kevin Riley, and EJ Crowell are all listed as co-starters alongside him.

What's that mean? There's significant competition in the RB room. Hill will likely get the first carry of the season, but it's going to be a by-committee approach, and Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb will ride the hot hand this year.

It's also further indication that Crowell is going to play tomorrow. Grubb hinted at that on Monday, but his inclusion on the depth chart for the game shows that he's on track to make his Crimson Tide debut.

I suspect the pecking order will hold true to how it's listed on the depth chart, at least to start. Hill goes first, Brown gets the next carry, then Riley, then Crowell.

2. Marshall Pritchett locked in as a starting TE

Alabama lists two starting tight ends on the official depth chart, but Marshall Pritchett is the only one entrenched. He's the starter at the "H" spot, while Kaleb Edwards, Josh Ford, and Danny Lewis Jr. are all listed as co-starters at the "Y" spot.

My expectation was that Edwards and Ford would be listed as the starters, but confidence in that started to wane in the last couple of weeks, particularly with how highly Grubb recently spoke about Pritchett.

“It starts with Marshall Pritchett,” Grubb said. "He’s stepped up as a blocker. He’s become a more complete player in that regard, where I think he was viewed as a guy going into spring and summer, like, line of scrimmage, is this guy gonna be able to get it done? And so, he took that part really seriously.

"I think he got a lot better at it, but the playmaker part in Marshall is he’s a weapon out there. He can truly block and then expand the outside, getting a mismatch on a safety and really play ball. So, I think from his standpoint, he’s doing a great job.”

All four of those guys are going to play a lot of snaps. There's versatility in that room, and they'll play a pivotal part in the Crimson Tide taking a step forward on the ground.

3. Devan Thompkins listed as a co-starter at two positions.

This was an intriguing part, which speaks to the versatility that Kane Wommack will have with his defensive front. Thompkins is listed as a co-starter at both Bandit and DT.

Desmond Umeozulu is listed with the OR designation with Thompkins at Bandit, with Mississippi State transfer Kedrick Bingley-Jones at DT with Thompkins. What does this mean? It means that Thompkins will be a starter, but his position will fluctuate depending on the front that Wommack wants to put in the game.

In heavier fronts, Thompkins will line up at Bandit with Bingley-Jones and Oregon's Terrance Green. But when Alabama wants to get lighter and with more of a pass-rushing presence, he'll slide inside with Umeouzulu shifting to Bandit. It's on the interior that Thompkins has a chance to be really impactful, giving Alabama an inside pass-rushing presence that has been missing in recent seasons.

4. Xavier Griffin listed as the backup Sting to Caleb Woodson

The first surprise is that Caleb Woodson is listed as the "Sting" at all. Most had him penciled in as the "Mike" with the competition at the other spot between Luke Metz and QB Reese. But that was flipped on the official depth chart.

Woodson and Metz are the starters as expected, but the surprise comes from true freshman Xavier Griffin being listed alone on the two-deep as the second-string Stinger. Griffin has had a tremendous fall camp and has clearly taken some strides to put himself in position for real snaps at inside linebacker.

It still stands to reason that his quickest path to playing time will be off the edge as a rusher. He'll have a versatile, and likely significant, role as a freshman.

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