Alabama Crimson Tide Football Offseason Preview

The Alabama Crimson Tide didn’t win the national championship, and many people will call that a failure, but it has to be said that Alabama beat Georgia for the SEC Championship in early December and frankly played above its capabilities in that game. Moreover, the Crimson Tide were leading Georgia in the national championship game and were carrying the run of play in the first half when receiver Jameson Williams got hurt. If Williams had remained healthy and had been able to play the full game, Alabama might have won the title. Not getting the championship was less a failure of the team, more about brutally bad luck in the last and most important game of the season. Nick Saban did a great job taking a team with a so-so offensive line and pushing it to the title game. Alabama was able to survive some shaky performances in November and find a way to win without its best stuff. In many ways, this Alabama team overachieved more than a number of the national championship teams Saban has had at Alabama. It’s hard to be too upset about a second-place finish given everything this team had to fight through. Now comes a 2022 season in which the Tide will probably hold the strongest hand of cards in the country.

Key Personnel Lost

Alabama had to reshuffle its coaching staff. New offensive line coach Eric Wolford will come in and try to reform a group which allowed 41 sacks last season. Alabama lost seven players to the NFL draft, including the aforementioned Jameson Williams. The Tide always lose a lot of talent, but they always reload. This is the machine Saban has developed at Alabama. It’s a normal part of business every offseason.

Important Incoming Freshmen

Alabama has developed great wide receivers in recent years. Aaron Anderson is the latest high-end prospect who has the coaching staff excited about the future. He has the complete package of skills as a receiver and is viewed by many as the next big thing in Tuscaloosa. There are a lot of high-profile freshmen who will join Vanderbilt transfer tackle Tyler Steen and some other new faces in improving Alabama’s offense, which was not consistently great last season. It had its moments but was not the juggernaut the 2020 team (Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Najee Harris) was.

Key Position Battles

Offensive line is where Alabama sharply regressed last season. Getting that unit back to the top of the sport has to be Saban’s priority. There will be some ferocious camp battles to test the linemen at the top of the depth chart and make sure the very best are starting when Week 1 of the season rolls around. Alabama had a great offensive line in 2020; building back that unit is the urgent need in 2022.

Biggest Offseason Goal(s)

Alabama’s red-zone offense was not efficient last season. Saban will want to make sure that he enters the regular season knowing his offense is going to significantly raise the bar and find more toughness in situations when the size of the field shrinks near the goal line. Line play is part of this, but it’s also a matter of getting more buy-in from players who struggled a lot during the 2021 season.