The first year of the 12-team College Football Playoffs could not have come at a better time for the Alabama Crimson Tide as they make their first transition at the head coaching position in 17 years. In the past, with just four teams qualifying for the tournament, there was almost no room for error. Now with 12 spots available, teams will have the ability to experience some growing pains and maybe even a few losses without their national title aspirations being decimated by one bad week.
New head coach Kalen DeBoer is coming off leading the Washington Huskies to a Sugar Bowl victory and national title appearance just a season ago, but the stakes in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and the SEC are exponentially higher. DeBoer did a phenomenal job of smoothing out the roster despite Saban’s retirement, but the Tide did lose some superb talent such as Caleb Downs to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
However, Alabama did pick up a few key transfers from Washington as well as a handful of other portal additions. In other great news, five-star WR Ryan Williams arrived on campus this week, and it will be exciting to see how quickly he can grasp the new offense.
Even though the staff is entirely new and there are many new players, Alabama will still be at the top of the food chain according to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports. Dodd ranks the Crimson Tide No. 5 in the country and says says,
“In Year 1 post-Saban, the expectations will not change as Kalen DeBoer takes over. Can’t wait to see how DeBoer’s downfield passing game translates to Jalen Milroe, who is the leading returning passer in that category (10.0 yards per attempt). When does the excellence run out? For the third time in four years, exactly 10 ‘Bama players were selected in the NFL Draft.”
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.