Why Alabama will be Improved in 2023?

via David Smith

Coming into the 2022 season, you couldn’t tell college football fans, regardless of who they’re favorite team was, that Alabama wasn’t going to win the National Championship. At the very least, most had Alabama poised to return to the College Football Playoff (CFP) along with winning the SEC championship game. Coming off of the Tide's great 2021 campaign, a return to the CFP in large part due to the star power they had in returning players, such as Quarterback Bryce Young and Linebacker Will Anderson. Many fans assumed that the Tide were winning it all last season. But sadly, they didn’t meet the high expectations.

As an Alabama fan myself, I learned a valuable lesson I will be taking into this next season: never trust preseason rankings and returning starters alone will result in more wins. On paper, the Tide had all of the tools to exceed their success of the 2021 season and were expected to capitalize on that success. The nation's best offensive player, QB Bryce Young, alongside the best edge rusher in LB Will Anderson should’ve been enough. Pairing those talents with a stellar recruiting class, a stellar transfer portal class, and other returning talent, going back to the national championship should be a no brainer, right? Wrong!!!

Alabama looked very inconsistent in big games last year. Sloppy play, along with failing to establish an identity as a team, committing penalties, turning the ball over plagued this Alabama team more than any 'Bama team Nick Saban has coached in recent memory. The Tide ended up going 11-2 for the season (A good record for most college football teams not named Alabama), but that just doesn’t cut it with the Tide. When you look at the star power being brought back and the fact that past Alabama teams have done more with less, it's not enough. With last season in the books, I’m expecting this year’s team to improve due to a number of factors:

1. Nick Saban is still coaching. Saban hasn’t lost a step, and with his "sky is the limit" attitude, you can almost bet that he’s going to have the Tide back on track and winning games.

2. A host of young talent. Alabama has a host of new, young talent joining the program after yet another fantastic recruiting class. Incoming recruits such as Kayden Proctor, Caleb Downs and Malik Benson as well as others all add to what the tide can expect to produce at their respective positions coming into the season.

In terms of returning starters, WR’s Jermaine Burton and JaCorey Brooks headline the receiving corps as well as Kobe Prentice who showed flashes last year. They have an excellent run game led by RBs Jayce McClelland and Jamarion “Jam” Miller. The offensive line is anchored by Seth McLaughlin and JC Latham anchoring the offensive line.

Returners on the defensive side of the ball includes Jahiem Alexander leading the defensive line, LB Dallas Turner anchoring the linebacker core, and CB Kool-Aid McCinstry who headlines a group of DBs that will be looking for blood when the Tide take the field in the fall.

The only question mark Alabama has coming into this season is quarterback. Losing Bryce Young was a big blow to the team and its leadership, but I don’t think that the Tide are in trouble at the position. They may lack experience at the collegiate level, but QBs Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson provide the Crimson Tide with solid options to replace Young as the starter. I’m not looking for either of these guys to come in and have the success Bryce Young did right away throwing for thousands of yards, but whoever the starter is is expected to come in and be a game manager. That means not turning the ball over, making the necessary reads when they have to, and reading defenses correctly in the RPO game to make the necessary short throws vs running the ball or handing it off.

If the Tide do this, they will have offensive success early on in the season, regardless of who they play. They will rely on the run game much like what we saw with the AJ McCarron led Tide teams in 2011 and 2012. Success will come Alabama’s way if they remain focused and play smart. Those are the keys that will lead to them having a better season than last year. When it’s all said and done though, I will not set my expectations high until I see what the tide do in week 1 of the 2023 season. I learned my lesson from last year.

Roll Tide!!!!!!!