Alabama WR ranks as a top-5 ‘draft gem’ in college football

One of Alabama’s newest players is being respected as a top-five player in college football.

In recent seasons, the Alabama Crimson Tide football program has had plenty of success recruiting wide receiver talent out of high school and through the transfer portal. The development of that talent is also noteworthy, as numerous receivers found their way into the NFL via early rounds of the draft, and cemented themselves as high-quality players at the professional level.

While those were all under the leadership of legendary head coach Nick Saban, he is now retired, leaving former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer to be the man at the helm of the historical program.

One of DeBoer’s biggest recruiting victories of the offseason was when he successfully obtained a commitment from junior wide receiver Germie Bernard, who played under DeBoer at Washington.

In 2023, Bernard appeared in 14 games, catching 34 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns. His role is expected to be much larger at Alabama, being one of the leaders of the receiving corps for starting quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Recently, Bernard was tabbed as a ‘draft gem’ by CBS Sports’s Blake Brockermyer, who ranked the new Crimson Tide receiver No. 5 on the list of top prospects for the 2025 NFL draft.

“Big-bodied receiver who can attack the ball in the air, body defenders and high point in contested catches,” writes Brockermyer. “He is expected to be Jalen Milroe’s security blanket after an impressive spring.”

It will be interesting to see how Bernard performs in the new environment with a new quarterback, but the same head coach. His stats, while relatively underwhelming, don’t give fans a strong idea of his strengths and weaknesses, as the sample size is still somewhat small.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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Alabama’s LB unit ranks top-10 in college football for 2024

Alabama’s linebackers makeup a unit that ranks inside the top 10 in all of college football!

The Alabama Crimson Tide football roster is loaded with talent for the upcoming 2024 season. By having a team full of high-quality players, head coach Kalen DeBoer should have an easy transition as he enters his first season with the program after spending the last two years with the Washington Huskies.

DeBoer is known as an offensive mastermind, so plenty of focus has appropriately been on starting quarterback Jalen Milroe and the rest of the Crimson Tide offense. However, some fans wonder how the Alabama defense will perform without legendary head coach Nick Saban, who worked closely with the team’s defense.

It will be interesting to see how the defense performs, but if there’s one thing Alabama doesn’t have, it’s a lack of talent. A recent ranking by Pro Football Focus of the top-10 linebacker units in all of college football for the upcoming 2024 season has the Crimson Tide linebackers ranked No. 6 in the nation.

“Alabama brings back both starting linebackers from a year ago in Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell. Lawson ranked seventh among FBS linebackers last year with an 88.1 pass-rushing grade. Campbell finished ninth in the SEC with 0.57 yards allowed per coverage snap.

“Jeremiah Alexander is also expected to move from edge defender to an off-ball role this year. The redshirt sophomore was a top-15 overall recruit in the class of 2022.”

As mentioned by Pro Football Focus, the linebackers who are expected to serve in key contributor roles are all returning players. The experience they have will be a big factor in the success of the unit and the defense as a whole.

Linebackers are tasked with various responsibilities and are viewed as some of the most versatile playmakers on the defensive side of the game. For the Crimson Tide to have an overall unit ranked No. 6 in the country, Alabama fans should not be too worried about how the team will perform when Milroe and the offense is off the field.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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Three Alabama opponents have top-10 ranked secondaries

Alabama’s offense will be tested throughout the 2024 college football season.

The 2024 college football season won’t be easy for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The program will be without legendary head coach Nick Saban for the first time in nearly two decades, and the regular season schedule won’t do the team any favors as a handful of tough matchups will test the Tide.

New head coach Kalen DeBoer has gone up against his fair share of difficult opponents over the years, especially when he was at the helm of the Washington Huskies program.

With DeBoer being an offensive-minded coach, fans and experts are excited to see what he does with the Alabama offense in 2024, especially with Jalen Milroe returning after a strong finish to his first year as the team’s starting quarterback.

Milroe and DeBoer will be tested, however. Recent positional unit rankings by Pro Football Focus (PFF) have three Crimson Tide opponents for the 2024 season inside the top 10 for defensive secondaries.

At No. 9 are the Oklahoma Sooners, which hosts Alabama in a late season matchup that will serve as the first in-conference game between the two teams.

“The Sooners are loaded at safety, and the star of that unit is Billy Bowman Jr., whose six interceptions last year tied for the third most among all defenders in college football. Dasan McCullough is a hybrid safety/linebacker for Oklahoma and ranked sixth among Power Five safeties with an 88.2 coverage grade this past season (minimum 275 snaps). Peyton Bowen was a five-star recruit in the 2023 class and earned an impressive 68.0 grade on 363 snaps in his true freshman campaign.”

Appearing at No. 8 are the Wisconsin Badgers, which host Alabama in an interesting Week 3 matchup.

“Wisconsin’s secondary features one of the nation’s 10 best safeties (Hunter Wohler) and a top-15 cornerback (Ricardo Hallman). Wohler earned the second-best coverage grade among FBS safeties in 2023 and was the second-most valuable safety in the nation, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. Hallman was a ball-magnet in 2023, tying for the national lead with seven interceptions. That helped him generate just a 37.4 passer rating allowed, which ranked ninth among FBS cornerbacks.”

Finally, at No. 7 on the list is a familiar rival, the Georgia Bulldogs. This matchup will take place in Tuscaloosa as DeBoer and Kirby Smart meet for the first time as conference opponents.

“While Georgia returns only two of its five starting defensive backs from last season, the Bulldogs still deserve a spot in this top 10. A major reason for that is junior Malaki Starks, my No. 2 returning safety in college football. He earned an 84.8 run-defense grade as a sophomore, which placed him seventh in the Power Five at his position. He also tied for sixth in that same group with seven forced incompletions in 2023.”

Alabama’s secondary does not appear on the list, which does not come as much of a surprise considering two star cornerbacks were selected in the early rounds of the 2024 NFL draft and highly-coveted freshman DB Caleb Downs hit the transfer portal after Saban retired, he now plays for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ironically, Downs and the Buckeyes rank No. 1 on this list as the top defensive secondary in all of college football for the 2024 season.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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Alabama ranks top 5 in latest 2024 college football power rankings

Alabama is still considered a top-5 team in college football for the upcoming 2024 season.

The upcoming 2024 season for the Alabama Crimson Tide football program will be interesting. The team may be entering a new era, as legendary head coach Nick Saban decided to retire and is replaced with former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer, but that doesn’t mean the elite status has immediately vanished.

Under Saban, Alabama was a consistent competitor for the SEC title, a regular participant of the College Football Playoff and an annual contender for a national championship. Some believe DeBoer will have the Crimson Tide continue on that path, thanks to the solid foundation left behind by Saban, while others argue the end of Alabama’s dynasty has come.

For now, all fans can do is predict how the upcoming season will go. However, a good way to guess how a team will do is to look at expert projections based on analytics to determine the potential success of the program.

Recently, Pro Football Focus (PFF) revealed a 2024 college football power ranking (subscription required), that lists all 134 FBS teams in order from strongest to weakest based on a few important factors.

PFF used strength of schedule, projected win total, Projected chance to make a bowl game, projected chance to win their respective conference and the projected chance to win the national championship.

The Crimson Tide ranks No. 5 overall, sitting behind the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs, No. 2 Texas Longhorns, No. 3 Michigan Wolverines and No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes.

As for the factors utilized to determine Alabama’s ranking, the Tide has the 23rd most-difficult strength of schedule, a projected win total of 9.6, a 98.18% chance to make a bowl game, a 20.31% chance to win the SEC championship and a 7.44% chance to win a national title.

DeBoer is under an immense amount of pressure as head head into his first season as the head coach of the Crimson Tide. Being the immediate successor to Nick Saban comes with nearly unreachable expectations and the eyes of fans and experts examining his every move under a microscope.

The 2024 season for Alabama football begins on Aug. 31 as the Tide takes on Western Kentucky in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news and rankings as the 2024 offseason progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Alabama’s offensive line ranks No. 1 in the nation for 2024

Alabama football’s offensive line is being praised as the top OL unit in all of college football.

The upcoming 2024 college football season for the Alabama Crimson Tide will be interesting. A handful of key contributors departed for the NFL, while others left via the transfer portal upon hearing of legendary head coach Nick Saban’s decision to retire. While some fans are unsure how to feel about certain positional units, there is one that is being praised as the best in the nation.

Alabama’s offensive line was recently ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked the top 10 offensive line units in all of college football.

With a quarterback as versatile as Jalen Milroe, protecting him from pass rushers, and allowing him to read the field is a must. In 2023, many fans had complaints about the performance of the offensive line, especially at center.

As the team prepares for 2024, it seems as if new head coach Kalen DeBoer was able to piece together an offensive line that has experience and a proven track record of success.

The line took a big hit early in the offseason as high-profile, former five-star recruit Kadyn Proctor announced his decision to enter the transfer portal and return to his home state of Iowa to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Just a few weeks later, however, Proctor re-entered the transfer portal and re-committed to the Crimson Tide. This was one of the biggest moves of the offseason for the team.

DeBoer also managed to recruit former Washington Huskies center Parker Brailsford, who played under DeBoer at Washington. Issues snapping the football in 2023 led many to believe that opportunities were missed and Milroe was being limited in what he could do, having to field low snaps and chasing untimely snapped footballs.

Pro Football Focus has high praise for Alabama’s offensive line in 2024, writing,

“All three of Alabama’s projected starters on the interior made PFF’s list of the top returners at the position: Parker Brailsford (No. 1), Tyler Booker (No. 3) and Jaeden Roberts (No. 7).

“They also return sophomore left tackle Kadyn Proctor, who transferred from Alabama to Iowa and back to Alabama, all in a span of three months. The former top-10 recruit’s freshman season was a roller coaster, as he earned a 76.3 PFF grade in the final seven games after posting a 54.5 mark in the first seven.”

While many are unsure where to place expectations for Alabama in the 2024 season, there should be very high hopes for what this offensive line will be capable of. It is far from flashy, but the line is the reason why Milroe will be able to make the highlight-worthy plays and how massive game-changing runs can take place.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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Alabama golf shares updates, previews brand new facility

Alabama Golf’s new facilities are BEAUTIFUL.

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s golf social media accounts recently shared videos that show the new facilities, and the progress that’s been made on the grounds and new buildings.

The video shows the luxurious indoor amenities the team will have access to, as well as the newly-designed practice course that will help the team prepare for tournaments.

Alabama golf has two national team titles on the men’s side and one for the women. The Crimson Tide’s presence on the national golf scene continues to grow, and the updates to the facilities will surely help with preparation and recruiting.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama golf and athletics.

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Jalen Milroe is a top 5 pick in latest 2025 NFL mock draft

Is it early? Yes. However, see what experts think about Alabama QB Jalen Milroe as the 2024 season approaches.

After a rough start to the 2023 season, Alabama Crimson Tide starting quarterback returns to his role at the helm of the Alabama offense in 2024. With a new, offensive-minded head coach in Kalen DeBoer, there are high expectations for Milroe in the upcoming season.

Heading into the beginning of last season, Milroe was fighting in a three-man QB competition with Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner. He ultimately won the job, but couldn’t find a groove early in the season. After a Week 2 loss to the Texas Longhorns, Milroe was benched in Week 3’s road game against USF.

After that, Milroe was the clear-cut starter for the team and steadily improved every week. By the end of the season, Milroe finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

It may be early, but a good indicator of how experts believe a college player will perform in the upcoming season is to look at way-too-early NFL mock drafts.

The latest mock draft by Curt Popejoy of the Draft Wire has Milroe being selected No. 5 overall in 2025 by the New York Giants.

Popejoy did not include any rationale behind this pick, but if the Giants are in need of a quarterback to replace Daniel Jones, Milroe may be the best option available at pick No. 5, but he is not QB1 in the draft. Popejoy has Milroe being the second quarterback drafted, with Carson Beck of the Georgia Bulldogs, who is selected first overall to the Carolina Panthers.

Milroe finished the 2023 season with an impressive 65.8% completion, 2,834 passing yards and 23 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions. On the ground, Milroe rushed for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The 2024 Alabama football season will begin in a few months as the Tide takes on Western Kentucky on Aug. 31 in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason approaches.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

77 days until Alabama football kicks off the 2024 season

We are now just 77 days away from the start of Alabama football’s 2024 season!

In 77 days, Kalen DeBoer will usher in a new era of Alabama Crimson Tide football, replacing the legendary [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] as head coach in Tuscaloosa.

Coach DeBoer and the Crimson Tide will take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Aug. 31 to kick off the 2024 college football season inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Here at Roll Tide Wire, we will count down the days until Alabama football takes the field.

With 77 days remaining we look at a current starting offensive lineman for the Crimson Tide who wears No. 77, [autotag]Jaeden Roberts[/autotag].

The redshirt junior is poised for a massive seaosn in 2024 helping anchor one of the best interior offensive lines in the country.

Jaeden Roberts’ Photo Gallery

78 days until Alabama football kicks off the 2024 season

Alabama football will kickoff the 2024 season in just 78 days!

In 78 days, Kalen DeBoer will usher in a new era of Alabama Crimson Tide football, replacing the legendary [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] as head coach in Tuscaloosa.

Coach DeBoer and the Crimson Tide will take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Aug. 31 to kick off the 2024 college football season inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Here at Roll Tide Wire, we will count down the days until Alabama football takes the field.

With 78 days remaining, we will look at a former offensive lineman, Mike Johnson, during the early Coach Saban days.

Johnson played for the Crimson Tide from 2006-09 and was a member of the 2009 BCS National Championship team before being selected in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

Mike Johnson’s Photo Gallery

How Kalen DeBoer can bring out the best version of Jalen Milroe

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe will be “dangerous” to opposing defenses if new head coach Kalen DeBoer does this one thing.

The upcoming Alabama Crimson Tide football season features plenty of changes. Kalen DeBoer has replaced Nick Saban as the team’s head coach, the SEC format has changed as the conference welcomes the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns and the College Football Playoff expands to a 12-team format. One of the only constants from 2023 to this upcoming season is quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Milroe returns to the Crimson Tide in 2024 and is praised nationally as one of the best incumbent starting quarterbacks in all of college football. The success of the Tide this season will rely on the performance of Milroe.

Saban was a defensive-minded head coach but had plenty of noteworthy, talented quarterbacks in recent seasons. DeBoer is quite the opposite. The former offensive coordinator has a strong record of working with and building up quarterbacks, which leads many to believe the Jalen-Kalen pairing may be a perfect match.

College football analyst J.D. PicKell recently broke down what DeBoer should do in order to get the most out of Milroe. Overall, it comes down to getting Milroe into a rhythm.

“To me, Jalen Milroe being in rhythm consistently creates more confidence,” said PicKell. “You give me a confident Jalen Milroe throwing the football play in and play out where he is consistent, that is going to be dangerous.”

Milroe is coming off of a 2023 season that began a bit rocky. Leading up to the start of the season, Milroe was working with a young offensive coordinator, had to compete in a three-man positional battle and was even benched after a Week 2 loss at home to the Longhorns.

Steady improvement led to Milroe finishing the season as the sixth-highest vote-getter in the Heisman Trophy race. He looks to build on last year’s performance and craft a strong 2024 season that will help his team win, and possibly put him in a position to be a 2025 first-round selection.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Jalen Milroe and all Alabama football news as the offseason progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM.