Grading Alabama Football by position group through three games

It's the first of two bye weeks for Alabama football this season, and now is as good a time as any to assess each position group through the first three games.

The Crimson Tide accomplished the first major goal of the season by going 3-0 up to the first bye week. They breezed by Western Kentucky in the opener, struggled for 54 and a half minutes against USF before puling away, and then rolled past Wisconsin on the road.

There's been some obvious bright spots, but plenty to clean up as well for the Crimson Tide as SEC play begins with a rematch of last season's SEC Championship Game next week against Georgia.

Let's take a look at each position group and hand out a letter grade through three games:

Quarterback

Even the most ardent Jalen Milroe detractors among the fanbase would be hard pressed to find many flaws in the quarterback's performance so far in 2024.

Milroe leads the nation with 14 total touchdowns, throwing eight and running in six others. He finished last season with 35 total touchdowns in 14 games, a season he finished sixth in Heisman voting. He's well ahead of that pace so far his season, and it's not hard to see him producing a 30-20 type of season.

He's been efficient throwing the football and has picked his spots scrambling while keeping his eyes down the field. The offensive staff has designed more runs for Milroe and have tailored the offense more to his strengths right from the jump, something that took too long for Nick Saban and Tommy Rees to figure out in 2023.

Among quarterbacks with at least 40-pass attempts, Milroe is second behind Jaxson Dart in passer rating. Milroe is the most dangerous dual-threat QB in the country, and his growth as a passer has made him even more dangerous.

Grade: A

Running Backs

On paper, it's hard to be too critical of Alabama's ground attack. Both Jam Miller and Justice Haynes are averaging over 8-yards-per-carry through three games. They've combined for 430 yards and five touchdowns, and with Milroe's ability to run the football, the Tide has been quite devastating on the ground.

As has been the knock on Alabama the last couple of seasons, the offense has been a bit too boom-or-bust. The big plays have come, with Miller and Haynes both hitting home run plays, but there's also been too many gains of 3-yards or less.

With Kadyn Proctor back in the mix at left tackle after missing two games, things were a lot more smooth in Madison. I would like to see a little more focus on getting them both more touches, however, with both combining for just 11 carries against Wisconsin.

There's going to be games like that with so much of the offense funneling through Milroe, but with the offensive line settled, Alabama's identity figures to revolve a lot around the rushing attack and play-action game. I would prefer to see the running backs take some of the hits Milroe is opening himself up to.

Grade: B+

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Ryan Williams has been one of the best receivers in the entire country - not just among freshmen.

He's scored touchowns in all three games so far, and at just 17-years-old has established himself as the No. 1 option on a national contender.

Washington transfer Germie Bernard is coming along, scoring his first touchdown of his Crimson Tide career right before halftime last week against Wisconsin. It will be important as the season goes on for a third receiver to step up for Alabama.

Kobe Prentice is the team's third leading receiver with just 5-catches and 77-yards, and Prentice has seen his playing time diminish some with the emergence of Williams. Kendrick Law has been a demon of a downfield blocker, but the offense hopes to get him the ball and let him do some damage as a playmaker as well. To date, he only has a single catch, which was the 22-yard touchdown in the season opener.

The tight ends have done little as receivers thus far, with Washington transfer Josh Cuevas scoring the first touchdown of the season for the group against Wisconsin. They've all blocked well, particularly Robbie Ouzts.

Grade: B+

Offensive Line

Your mileage may vary on how you would grade the performance of the Tide's offensive line so far. If you simply graded the intended starting unit, which we saw for the first time all together last week at Camp Randall, then they would get the highest marks.

But if the purpose of the exercise is to grade the full season so far, then you have to account for how woeful the unit looked for three and a half quarters against USF two weeks ago. The good news is that against the Bulls, Alabama played that game with what is now two backups in Wilkin Formby and Geno VandeMark, and a starter playing out of position.

With Proctor's return at left tackle, and Elijah Pritchett earning the right tackle job with his play on the field, the Crimson Tide's offensive line looks like it might be a huge strength moving forward. The Georgia game next week will tell the tale.

Grade: B

Defensive Line

Simply put, Alabama's run defense has to be better moving forward for the Crimson Tide to win a championship. While Alabama is only giving up 3.5 yards-per-carry, the Tide ranks 63rd in the country in giving up 132.3 yards-per-game.

Some of that could be chalked up to the unorthodox style of offense USF runs, but Wisconsin found success running the football, too.

Alabama has been very conservative on defense so far, with one of the nation's lowest blitz rates. LT Overton and Tim Keenan have flashed, and Alabama has plenty of quality depth on the frontline. The results have to follow, though.

Grade: B-

Linebackers

You would be hard pressed to find a better group of linebackers in the country than what has been stockpiled in Tuscaloosa.

The inside group of Jihaad Campbell, Deontae Lawson, and Justin Jefferson is as good as it gets. Lawson is a multi-year starter, and Campbell has emerged as arguably the best off-ball linebacker in the entire country. Jefferson's versatility has been big for the room, and he's flashed as much as anyone in a lot less snaps.

The edge guys have been good, too, but deserve some of the blame in the Tide's struggles against the run. The majority of runs that have popped have been to the outside, with the edge guys crashing too hard and not being sound in their gaps.

Que Robinson leads the team with three sacks and has been outstanding as a situational pass rusher, though more could be asked of him depending on the injury status of Qua Russaw, who has handled the early down snaps

It's a high grade for the group, nonetheless.

Grade: A-

Defensive Backs

The secondary has been the main cause for anxiety defensively for Alabama fans, with a few open receivers running free against USF and Wisconsin. None of those big plays have been hit yet, but with better quarterbacks ahead on the schedule, starting with Carson Beck next week, some things will have to get cleaned up.

Keon Sabb and Malachi Moore are sound at safety, but the corners have little experience and they will continue to get tested. Domani Jackson has played well, but he's been called for a holding penalty in every game so far.

The freshmen have been the ones being attacked, and while the likes of Zabien Brown, Jaylen Mbakwe, and Red Morgan have a ton of potential, they'll need to grow up quick or those shot plays will start hitting.

Purely as a statistical look, though, it's hard to complain much. With all the new faces, Alabama ranks No 1 in the country in yards-per-pass-play allowed and 16th in opponent completion percentage.

Grade: B+

Special Teams

Graham Nicholson is 0/1 on field goal attempts, and Kendrick Law fumbled the opening kickoff of the 2nd half against USF.

Outside of that, it has been hard to complain. James Burnip is one of the best punters in the country, averaging 46.5 yards on 15 punts.

Cole Adams, Jaylen Mbakwe, and Ryan Williams have flashed as punt returners and Law should be a weapon on kickoff returns if he can hold on to the football.

Grade: B+