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Alabama endured a lot of adversity of 2017. The defense was ravaged by injuries to key players, and the offense dealt with an underlying quarterback controversy despite returning the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
Still, the Crimson Tide walked away as national champions. Again.
As great as that last-second victory over Georgia was, it’s time to move on to 2018.
According to Vegas, Alabama is still the favorite to win it all. The Tide will have to answer several questions before that prediction can become a reality, however.
1. Who starts at quarterback?
Alabama’s quarterback competition has been the talk of the offseason. As much as it frustrates Nick Saban, the victor between Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts will have significant implications on how the offense – and team – does in 2018.
Tagovailoa became nationally known after his 166-yard, 3 TD performance against Georgia led the Tide to their fifth national title under Saban. The former 5-star quarterback suffered a hand injury in the spring, however, which hurt his chances of earning the starting job before summer hit. Hurts’ father has said his son will transfer if he isn’t the starter.
This battle will go deep into fall camp.
2. How will the secondary perform after the departures?
Alabama’s secondary was hit the hardest following last season’s national championship run.
The team’s top three cornerbacks (Anthony Averett, Levi Wallace and Tony Brown) are gone, and so are the top three safeties (Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison and Hootie Jones). Of those six, only Jones isn’t on an NFL roster.
There’s good news, however.
The Tide added an impressive group of defensive backs in the 2018 recruiting class. Saivion Smith, a 4-star JUCO CB and former LSU signee, made an immediate impact in the spring. Others, like 5-star Patrick Surtain Jr., will get a chance to earn a role as a true freshman.
3. What five-man combination will start on the offensive line?
Alabama’s line only suffered one loss. Bradley Bozeman, a two-year starter at center, is now a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
Still, the line could see a major shakeup.
After spending his first season at right tackle, sophomore Jedrick Wills saw most of his reps at right guard in the spring. Last year’s starter at right guard, Lester Cotton, moved over to the left side where he has some experience. Ross Pierschbacher, who started at left guard in 2017, has moved to center.
As you can see, the first-team offensive line could look completely different against Louisville.
4. Will Da’Ron Payne be the defense’s biggest loss?
Three defensive players from last year’s squad were drafted in the first round of April’s draft. Four more were selected on Day 3.
Da’Ron Payne, taken No. 13 overall by the Washington Redskins, might be the biggest loss of those seven players.
The defense should be fine in its nickel and dime packages since it has a deep group of edge rushers (Terrell Lewis, Anfernee Jennings and Christian Miller) to go with interior guys like Raekwon Davis, Isaiah Buggs and Quinnen Williams. It’ll be the base package that suffers the most.
Payne was a terror when lined up as a run-stuffing, 0-technique nose tackle. Williams got an opportunity to replace him after bulking up to 289, but he doesn’t offer the same level of support as a run defender.
5. Which rising sophomore becomes the go-to receiver?
Other than the secondary, no other position suffered more losses than at wide receiver. The Tide lost three of their top five receivers, which included standout Calvin Ridley (224 receptions, 2,781 receiving yards and 19 TDs in his career).
With that said, the position could be even better in 2018.
The group will be led by a trio of second-year players. Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and DeVonta Smith all made a significant impact as freshmen, but which one becomes the go-to receiver in 2018?
Will there even be a true No. 1 receiver? Will it matter? If Tagovailoa wins the job, expect the Tide to throw it more than they did under Hurts in 2017. Alabama finished 12th in the SEC last season in passing attempts per game (23.7).
6. Will Skyler DeLong be an adequate replacement for JK Scott?
Skyler DeLong will deal with a lot more pressure than most punters. It’s not a common practice for a punter to be a fan favorite, after all. But that’s exactly what JK Scott was to Alabama fans.
DeLong, a member of the 2018 recruiting class, arrived as the nation’s No. 4 player at his position, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
That pedigree certainly helps, but it’ll be hard for him to replicate Scott’s success – a 45.6-yard punt average in 56 career games with an ability to flip the field seemingly at will.
7. How will the new coaching staff mesh?
Yes, it’s true the roster suffered a lot of turnover. It’s also true that the coaching staff did too – maybe even more than the roster.
Alabama lost its offensive coordinator (Brian Daboll), defensive coordinator (Jeremy Pruitt) and several position coaches. Saban also had to shift guys around to fill some of the voids left behind.
Only at a place like Alabama does that sort of turnover happen with the team coming out better on the other end. That’s not a guarantee, but a lot of the replacements — such as defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski and special teams coordinator Jeff Banks — are upgrades.
8. Is Alabama’s future kicker already on the roster?
In addition to finding a punter, Alabama is also in search of a new kicker. Ole Miss grad transfer Andy Pappanastos is gone after converting only 72-percent of his kicks (18-of-25) in 2017.
Everyone has been buzzing about the high school phenom Will Reichard out of Hoover (Ala.), but the nation’s top kicker for the 2019 class won’t be on campus this season. That gives redshirt freshman Joseph Bulovas, the No. 3 K in the 2017 class, a chance.
First, he’ll have to beat out Temple grad transfer Austin Jones this season.
9. How will the distribution of carries play out at running back?
In a surprise move, last year’s top running back Damien Harris (135 carries, 1,000 rushing yards, 11 TDs) decided to return for his senior season rather than leave early for the NFL. There were a lot of draft pundits who predicted that he would join Bo Scarbrough as a draft candidate.
Instead, Alabama’s stable of rushers is as deep as ever.
The older Harris should continue to jog out with the first team, but sophomores Najee Harris and Brian Robinson will see a significant uptick in usage as well. It also wouldn’t be wise to count out Josh Jacobs (99 touches, 723 yards and 4 TDs in 2016).
It’ll be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Mike Locksley distributes the carries after finishing 2017 without seeing any running back top 150 carries. Locksley obviously knows these guys. He’s been on Bama’s offensive staff since 2016.
10. Can Alabama remain the top dog in the SEC?
Alabama is the reigning national champion, but let’s not forget that Georgia actually won the SEC and made it to the national title game in Kirby Smart’s second season. That’s something Saban couldn’t do – although, he did come close.
To make matters worse, the Bulldogs are also showing they’re a force to be reckoned with on the recruiting trail. They recently finished with one of the best classes of all time.
But even Saban’s early teams had a fallback year.
Georgia is replacing a ton of star power. The Dawgs haven’t taken the crown from Alabama yet, though. In fact, the passing of that crown might not even be close.
Clint helps cover the SEC West for Saturday Down South. His work can also be found on USA TODAY Sports, The 'Bama Beat podcast and The Bullpen with TonyMac and The Lamb. Previous stops include SEC Country, 247Sports and Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
