Alabama Football 2013 Spring Wrap Up

Spring Summary

That wonderful time of year known as spring training has now come and gone, and the long wait across summer until the first college football Saturday has begun. For Alabama, the spring was about ensuring the candidates for open jobs were as good as we had heard and avoiding injuries. And to that end, one could call it a success.

Question Marks

The biggest concern heading into spring practice for Alabama was whether the defensive backs, specifically the corners, would be adequate in their mission to replace departed first round draft pick and All-American Dee Milliner. The answer? Probably.

Deion Belue had a nice spring after playing pretty well in 2012. Geno Smith continued to improve, and Cyrus Jones made a nice transition to corner, showing off his abundant athleticism.

Unfortunately, John Fulton was sidelined with a lingering injury, and neither Bradley Sylve nor Jabriel Washington made much noise. Overall though, this group appears to be in good shape heading into the fall.

Another group many were worried about was the offensive line. After losing Barrett Jones, DJ Fluker, and Chance Warmack to the NFL draft, how would this unit fare? Who would win the jobs?

While nothing is set in stone, I feel very confident projecting the starting five from left to right as follows: Cyrus Kouandjio, Arie Kouandjio, Ryan Kelly, Anthony Steen, Austin Shepherd.

With that addressed, I think the biggest area of concern for Tide fans should be the defensive line. Although there is a wealth of depth and talent at defensive end, that is not the case for the nose guard position.

Brandon Ivory is a seasoned player, but he doesn’t yet look to be to the standard of Terrence Cody, Josh Chapman, and Jesse Williams before him. Behind Ivory, there are very few warm bodies, none of which have much experience. Ivory’s improvement, along with the development of the players behind him, will be critical for Alabama’s defensive success in 2013.

Sleepers

The A Day game is always an opportunity to find players who will break out in the upcoming year. In last year’s game, Amari Cooper and TJ Yeldon made plenty of waves, a sign of what was to come when it really counted.

One player that looks to take a huge step forward this year is defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan. He’s a bit of an unknown to most of the college football world, but rest assured, NFL scouts are well aware of him. He’s already showing up in the first round of several 2014 mock drafts.

Pagan was a 5 star recruit before sustaining a season-ending injury his senior year of high school and appears to be realizing his pre-injury potential.

In addition to Pagan, Ryan Anderson could also break out this year, whether it’s at Jack linebacker or defensive end. Another 5 star talent out of high school, Anderson redshirted last year to the surprise of many and looks to make a name for himself in 2013 after dominating Alabama’s second string offensive line in the A Day game.

In the secondary, the one to watch is upcoming sophomore Landon Collins. Everyone remembers the drama between Collins and his mother when he committed to Alabama over in-state LSU, but lost in that has been the fact that this guy is simply a PLAYMAKER.

He may have more raw athleticism than anyone else on Bama’s roster, and that is saying quite a bit. Look for him to start at safety opposite Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, and don’t be surprised if he ends up being the more talked about player.

Position Group Grades

Quarterback: B+

AJ McCarron may not have been at his best in the A Day game, but everyone knows he’ll be fine when the lights are on. He’ll likely be an All-American this year and could even contend for the Heisman Trophy. He’ll own every school record in the books by the time he’s done, and he might very well win his third ring as a starting quarterback.

So why the B+? Because if McCarron goes down, things will get very bad very quickly for the Tide. The current backup quarterback, junior Blake Sims, is absolutely horrible, as evidenced by the spring game. Whether it’s decision making, throwing motion, velocity, or accuracy, Sims lacks, significantly.

I believe that if McCarron were to be injured (knock on wood) redshirt freshman Alec Morris, currently third string, would take the reins and lead the offense. He looked much better when I saw him play, although he also had multiple turnovers in the scrimmage.

Past those three, things get even more dicey. There are a lot of bodies, as the Tide currently has NINE quarterbacks on the roster, but few that will be able to win a game for Alabama if they’re needed to.

Running Back: A

TJ Yeldon is TJ Yeldon. He may be the best running back in the country, and if he’s not, he’s close. Unfortunately, injuries made it difficult to tell just how set Alabama is at running back, as Jalston Fowler and Derrick Henry are both currently sidelined.

Kenyan Drake and Dee Hart both look good as backups to Yeldon though, and the Tide will see three more four-star running backs come in during the summer. Fowler and Henry should also both be ready for fall practice. There’s probably not a more stacked unit in the nation.

Wide Receiver: A+

Alabama has the best wide receiving corps in its history, and this is one of the absolute top units in the nation.

Amari Cooper put on show as a true freshman last year, Kenny Bell was averaging more yards per catch than almost anyone else in college football before he got hurt, Kevin Norwood has made huge catches in big games two years in a row, DeAndrew White may be the fastest player on the team, and Chris Black was getting as much hype as Cooper last year before he got hurt.

Christion Jones also returns after starting in 2011 and 2012, and Raheem Falkins has been impressive after enrolling early. The Tide is extremely deep and talented at receiver, and 5 star Robert Foster will only serve to improve that when he arrives this summer.

Offensive Line: B+

Cyrus Kouandjio returns at left tackle to anchor the line in 2013. He’ll almost certainly leave to be a top ten pick in the NFL draft after this season, but he’ll be an Outland Trophy contender for Alabama this year.

Anthony Steen returns at right guard for his fifth season after a fantastic 2012 campaign overshadowed by the other stars of the O-line.

The newcomers are all in at least their third year, and all of them have actually exceeded expectations so far. The second team, however, is less impressive than in years past. Alabama will have to hope they stay healthy along the line.

Tight End: B-

Brian Vogler looks to keep up his success dating back to the 2012 SEC Championship Game, but outside of him, Alabama’s tight end situation remains very uncertain.

Harrison Jones will likely battle Jalston Fowler for the starting job at H-back, and Malcolm Faciane could contribute there as well.

True freshman and former 5 star OJ Howard looks to see some playing time as well, but it’s still unclear how ready he is to make the transition from high school ball. He did enroll early, and he has all the talent in the world.

Defensive Line: B+

As mentioned earlier, there is plenty of talent at defensive end. Jeoffrey Pagan, Ed Stinson, Dalvin Tomlinson, Xzavier Dickson, and LaMichael Fanning give this group more than enough talent and depth.

Nose guard is a huge question. If Brandon Ivory can make huge strides, this defensive line could be one of the best of the Saban era. He has yet to show that kind of ability.

Linebackers: A

Alabama may not have huge guys like Courtney Upshaw or Dont’a Hightower this year, but CJ Mosley returns after a consensus All-America season, Adrian Hubbard gave up the possibility of being a first rounder to return for his fourth year, and some think Trey DePriest is a future first rounder as well.

Tana Patrick was all over the field in the spring game, and it seems as though the light has finally come on for him. There is ridiculous depth here, as many second and third stringers would start for other SEC schools.

Secondary: A-

The safeties should be fantastic. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Landon Collins could be the two most talented safeties in the nation. Nick Perry looked much better in the spring game, as did Vinnie Sunseri.

Deion Belue and Geno Smith should both be excellent at corner, and John Fulton enters his senior year looking to live up to his high school billing after showing flashes of greatness against Texas A&M in 2012.

If Sylve or Washington can make an impact, this could be the best secondary in the country.

Special Teams: B

It remains to be seen whether Cade Foster (or the team of Cade Foster and Adam Griffith) can shoulder the full-time responsibilities of the kicking game. Cody Mandell continues to look fantastic punting the ball and should be a weapon.

The winner of the return man job has yet to be decided. Last year, fumbles on returns were a huge problem.

Closing Thought

Overall, it was a great spring for the Tide. There were relatively few injuries, and everyone who was injured will be back in time for fall camp. The early enrollees look promising, a lot of players put on good weight, and more time under the tutelage of football’s best coaches never hurts.

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