Alabama Football: Farewell to the 2023 Alabama Team
The 2023 Alabama Football season has come to an end in disappointing fashion as the Crimson Tide lost to the Michigan Wolverines 27-20 in the Rose Bowl. This team exceeded expectations all season after being written off in Week Two when they lost to the Texas Longhorns. Overall, the team fell short of the ultimate goal and will use it as motivation for 2024.
This year's team was the last season for many Alabama Football all-timers and gave us memorable seasons we will remember for a long time. Will Reichard became the All-time leading scorer in the history of college football becoming automatic for the Alabama Football team. Reichard leaves Alabama as a National Champion in 2020 and a two-time all-sec player. Reichard came through in the clutch time and time again including in the Rose Bowl where he went 2-2 on field goals from 52 and 50 yards.
The Alabama Football team also had one of arguably the best corner tandems in the history of the school this season. Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry will likely leave the school to become first-round picks in the NFL Draft. McKinstry was the guy from day one starting at corner as a true freshman becoming a star for Alabama. Arnold took a different route, becoming a fan favorite and one of the top corners this season making himself a first-round pick.
At Edge rusher, you can echo a lot of the same sentiments, with Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell. Turner gave the Alabama Football team a consistent edge presence from day one starting opposite Will Anderson Jr as a true freshman. Chris Braswell spent his first two seasons behind Anderson, Turner, and Drew Sanders before bursting onto the scene this season. Braswell recorded eight sacks this season as well as a pick-six in what might be his final season before he enters the NFL Draft.
Offensively, this team will have a few departures with JC Latham in all likelihood becoming a top-ten pick. Latham was a solid spot on the offensive line at right tackle and didn't get the credit he deserved with struggles around him. They also lose Jermaine Burton who will head to the NFL where he'll become a day two or day three pick. Burton provided the Alabama Football team with two seasons of top receiver play after he transferred in from Georgia. It's unclear what decisions senior running backs Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams will make but the duo provided the offense with quality performances throughout their two seasons at Alabama.
The team will also most likely lose Malachi Moore who's been a great player since he stepped on campus in 2020. Moore provided the 2020 national championship team with solid play at safety and the star position where he shined for Nick Saban for four seasons alongside great safeties like Brian Branch, Jordan Battle, and DeMarcco Hellams.
This team gave us a signature moment with Jalen Milroe's fourth and 31 pass against Auburn. Bond and Milroe will become one of the nation's top duos in 2024 with a full off-season of first-team reps together.
The ending of this season will leave a sour taste in the mouths of plenty of fans however, it's still one of the more fun rides in recent years of any Alabama Football team. In a majority of the seasons, Nick Saban has coached the Alabama Football team they've entered the season as the top team in the country and fought to stay there the entire year. This team battled all season becoming better each week resulting in an SEC Championship and a college football playoff bid.
Alabama Football: What's next?
The next week will be filled with news on incoming and outgoing transfers as well as NFL Draft decisions. This next week will give us some clarity on what the team may look like in 2024 while the team may go out and add a few more transfers with more time for the coaching staff to recruit. The Alabama Football team will look to improve for 2024 as their best wasn't enough this season. The coaching staff may also see some departures as new head coaches look to fill out their coaching staffs throughout the country.