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Alabama will begin its quest for an 18th national title on Aug. 31 when the Crimson Tide takes on Duke inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. To help pass the time until then, BamaInsider is answering 19 important questions concerning the 2019 season.

Today we continue the series by taking a look at five unbreakable Alabama records.

They say records are made to be broken, but we have a feeling these never will be. After examining the possible milestones Alabama players could set next season, here’s a look a few marks that should stand the test of time.

Note: we limited this list to individual records, so team achievements (which Alabama has a lot of) were excluded.

Records: 27 sacks, 39 tackles for a loss,

About the record: There have been several impressive single-season performances in Alabama history, but they all pale in comparison to what Derrick Thomas was able to achieve in 1988. While the NCAA did not start collecting stats until the 2000 season, Thomas would hold records in sacks (27) and tackles for a loss (39). Even crazier, he achieved the totals over just 12 games. His 52 career sacks are tied with Arizona’s Teddy Bruschi as well.

Why this record is safe: Even as teams continue to play more and more games, few have come close to reaching Thomas’ marks. Terrell Suggs recorded 24 sacks over 14 games for Arizona State in 2002, while Jason Babin tallied 32 tackles for a loss over 12 games for Western Michigan in 2003. However, those are the exceptions. For perspective, if you combined Alabama’s top three sack leaders last year — Isaiah Buggs, Christian Miller and Quinnen Williams — they combined for 26 sacks, one below Thomas’ record. The Crimson Tide’s top two leaders in tackles for a loss — Williams and Buggs — tallied a combined 33 tackles, six below Thomas’ mark.

Record: 31 tackles

About the record: Like Thomas’ sack record, Lee Roy Jordan’s 31 tackles against Oklahoma in the 1963 Orange Bowl are not recognized by the NCAA because the feat occurred before 2000. However, it’s impressive nonetheless. Mike Singletary had a 35-tackle game and a 33-tackle game for Baylor both in the 1978 season. The closest Alabama player to reaching the mark was DeMeco Ryans who tallied 25 stops against Arkansas in 2003.

Why this record is safe: Jordan’s heroic performance in 1963 came against Bud Wilkinson’s Sooners, who ran a split-T offense which used three running backs on the field at the same time. The Sooners completed just 4 of 8 passes and ran the ball 52 times in a 17-0 loss to the Crimson Tide. Those type of offenses are rare in modern times where teams have shifted to spread attacks which disperse the ball across the field. Even if Alabama went up against an offense that focused solely on running the ball, it’s unlikely one player would be on the field long enough to record 31 stops given how often it uses substitutions.

Records: 168 points, 406 receptions and carries combined, 28 rushing touchdowns, 395 carries, 2,219 rushing yards,

About the record: Derrick Henry was a workhorse during his Heisman-winning season in 2015. He touched the ball an SEC-record 406 times from scrimmage (395 carries, 11 receptions) en route to setting the conference’s single-season mark with 2,310 yards from scrimmage. Henry’s record 28 touchdowns also set the SEC mark for 168 total points. LSU’s Leonard Fournette came close to reaching Henry’s SEC record of 2,219 rushing yards, racking up 1,953 yards also in 2015. Auburn’s Tre Mason was the closest to reaching Henry’s points total, tallying 150 in 2003.

Why this record is safe: It’s worth noting that none of the records are necessarily unbreakable in some circumstances. San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny ran for 2,248 yards in 2017, while Florida Atlantic’s Devin Singletary totaled 198 points on 33 rushing touchdowns in the same year. However, from an Alabama standpoint, these marks seem unreachable. Given football’s shift to using multiple backs, it’s unlikely Alabama will have another rusher carry the ball 395 times in a season. Damien Harris, the Crimson Tide’s leading rusher the past three seasons, ended his four-year college career with just 477 total carries.

Record: 19 punts in one game, 914 punting yards

About the record: This was a dark day for Alabama — literally. According to a 1932 report from The Tuscaloosa News, Alabama’s 7-3 loss to Tennessee that year featured immense rain that caused both sides to punt on early downs. That resulted in Johnny Cain booting the ball 19 times for a whopping 914 yards total yards. Alabama will likely never see such a feat again, nor does it want to.

Why this record is safe: Field conditions have improved from that sloppy day in Birmingham’s Legion Field. It’s also hard to imagine games being played in conditions where both coaches felt it necessary to punt instead of running plays. As for the yardage, Cain averaged a respectable 48.11 yards on his 19 attempts. Barring a game that occurs during the apocalypse, this record doesn’t seem like it runs the risk of being broken anytime soon.

Record: 3,918 yards from 2006-09

About the record: Javier Arenas is Alabama’s career record holder in both kick return yards (2,166) and punt return yards (1,752) and holds each mark by more than 500 yards. He’s also the only player in the top five of both categories.

Why this record is safe: It’s probably a safe bet that no one reaches Arenas’ mark in either kick return yards or punt return yards much less combined. Alabama often uses different returners on kickoffs and punts, so finding someone who does both, especially as well as Arenas did, is a rarity. Even if the Crimson Tide did find such a player, it’s unlikely teams would kick to him. In 2012, kickoffs were moved from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, making it easier for kickers to kick the ball out of the end zone. Also, the use of rugby-style punts, as well as teams’ reluctance to kick to elite returners, could often limit production. Take last year for example, as teams shied away from Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle following his torrid start to the season.

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