Alabama football
and coach Kalen DeBoer gets the 2024 season officially underway on Saturday, hosting Western Kentucky at Bryant-Denny Stadium. It will mark the first time in 17 years a new face will be leading the Crimson Tide
after coach Nick Saban retired in January.
Alabama
wrapped up its preseason camp last week, which it began on July 31. Now, all eyes turn to Saturday as the Crimson Tide
begins its highly anticipated season.
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When speaking to the media last week, DeBoer revealed that he will reveal the official depth chart sometime through the week. However, ahead of its official release, here are our final depth chart projections across all positions.
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Quarterback
Starter:Jalen Milroe
Reserves: Ty Simpson
, Austin Mack
, Dylan Lonergan
This one is kind of a a given, considering Milroe emerged as the starter last season and has continued to grow as a leader. Simpson served as Milroe's primary backup last season, and it seems Austin Mack and Dylan Lonergan are competing for the No. 3 spot.
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Running back
Starters:Jam Miller or Justice Haynes
Reserves: Richard Young
, Daniel Hill
, Kevin Riley
Through camp, Miller and Haynes have emerged to be a 1A/1B threat within the Crimson Tide's backfield. Young is also expected to be a force in Alabama's running back unit, which has the potential to be one of the team's strongest units.
Wide receiver
Starters: Kobe Prentice
, Germie Bernard
, Kendrick Law
Reserves:Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Cole Adams, Ryan Williams
, Caleb Odom
, Rico Scott, Jaren Hamilton, Amari Jefferson, Bubba Hampton
Prentice, Bernard and Law headline Alabama's wide receiver room with the most real-game experience. Alabama has a lot of young talent in this room in Ryan Williams, Caleb Odom and Rico Scott, to name a few, so expect to see the ball get spread around between receivers.
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Tight end
Starter: CJ Dippre
Reserves:Josh Cuevas, Robbie Ouzts, Ty Lockwood, Danny Lewis Jr., Jay Lindsey
Dippre headlines the tight end room, which is expected to be highly utilized within the offense of DeBoer and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan. Ouzts is another that is expected to get valuable playing time along with Cuevas, who following DeBoer and company from Washington
, and Lewis Jr.
Offensive line
Starters: Kadyn Proctor
(left tackle), Tyler Booker
(left guard), Parker Brailsford
(center), Jaeden Roberts
(right guard), Wilkin Formby (right tackle)
Reserves:Geno VanDeMark, Miles McVay, Naquil Betrand, Elijah Pritchett, Casey Poe, Roq Montgomery, Joseph Ionata, William Sanders, Olaus Alinen
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With Roberts injuring his hand during a preseason scrimmage, VanDeMark stepped up in his place during practice. However, DeBoer previously stated that Roberts will be ready to go come Game 1. As for right tackle, Formby and Pritchett have been battling for the starting spot all camp, with Formby looking to get more first-team reps. Expect to see the two rotate as the competition is expect to go through the season.
Specialists
Starters: Graham Nicholson
(kicker), James Burnip
(punter), Kneeland Hibbett (longsnapper)
Reserves: Conor Talty, Nick Serpa, Reid Schuback, Anderson Green, Tucker Cornelius
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With the departure of Will Reichard
, Miami ( Ohio
) transfer and the reigning Lou Groza Award winner Nicholson will serve as Alabama's starting kicker. James Burnip, who DeBoer said was having a "phenomenal camp"
will serve as punter and Hibbett, who was recently put on scholarship, will be longsnapper.
Defensive line
Starters: Jah-Marien Latham (Bandit), Tim Keenan III (nose guard), Jehiem Oatis (tackle), Que Robinson (Wolf)
Reserves:LT Overton, Tim Smith, James Smith, Qua Russaw
, Keon Keely, Keanu Koht, Damon Payne Jr., Hunter Osborne, Jordan Renaud, Yhonzae Pierre, Isaia Faga, Jeremiah Beaman, Edric Hill, Noah Carter, Jayshawn Ross
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Lots of guys will be in the mix for playing time on the defensive line, including LT Overton at the bandit position and Tim Smith at tackle. That being said, expect to see quite the rotation along Alabama's defensive line.
Linebackers
Starters: Deontae Lawson
(Mike), Jihaad Campbell
(Sting)
Reserves: Justin Jefferson
, Justin Okoronkwo, Jeremiah Alexander, QB Reese, Cayden Jones, Sterling Dixon
This one is also kind of a given, with Lawson and Campbell returning with the most real-game experience and Lawson serving a similar role last season. Expect to see variations of this, though, especially with Jefferson being rotated in after the senior has garnered much praise through fall camp.
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Defensive backs
Starters: Malachi Moore
(safety), Keon Sabb
(rover), DeVonta Smith
(Husky), Domani Jackson
(cornerback), DaShawn Jones (cornerback),
Reserves: Red Morgan
, Jaylen Mbakwe
, King Mack, Zabien Brown, Zavier Mincey, Kameron Howard, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Bray Hubbard, Jahlil Hurley
Alabama's secondary had many question marks surrounding it after losing most of its production from last season. Through the transfer portal and its 2024 recruiting class, Alabama has rebuilt its secondary. At the cornerback spot, Brown was seen getting first-team reps through spring and fall ball, but simply due to experience, Jones may get the nod to start alongside USC transfer Domani Jackson. Malachi Moore is another that's a given to start at safety, along with Michigan
transfer Keon Sabb at rover (strong safety). Smith will be manning the Husky position, essentially the nickelback, but with its talented youth, expect to see rotations at this position, possibly with freshman Red Morgan getting some snaps.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News:
Alabama football depth chart projections: Our updated prediction is in
