Five potential breakout players for Alabama in 2022

With consecutive top-five recruiting classes, Alabama has the luxury of not rushing recruits into starting right away. Although it's rare to see underclassmen make an immediate impact, here are five players that are poised for a breakout season in 2022.

The former four-star recruit from Mobile, Alabama was redshirted last season after seeing the field for four games. Despite not registering a stat during that time, Lawson is expected to compete with Jaylen Moody for the “Will” linebacker spot that Christian Harris manned in 2021.

Lawson was a force at Mobile Christian, racking up more than 130 total tackles as a junior. He helped the Leopards to the Class 3A title game that season and was named the 2019 Class 3A Lineman of the Year.

Lawson brings that size and speed that the Crimson Tide linebackers are known for, and is now listed at 225 pounds. Couple that maturation with the fact that he tallied more than 101 solo tackles in high school, and Lawson seems primmed to start in 2022.

Injuries kept JoJo Earle from living up to his freshman hype last season as he recorded 148 receiving yards on 12 receptions. Now fully healthy, he will look to break into Alabama's starting unit.

Earle led the first team offense in both receptions and receiving yards with four catches for 51 yards during A-Day. He could have had even more production had Bryce Young not been sacked 10 times against the first-team defense.

Earle is in the mix to start in the slot for Alabama this season. In order to do that, he’ll have to fend off 6-foot-3 receiver Traeshon Holden and Christian Leary, who tallied 106 receiving yards and a touchdown with the second-team offense during the A-Day game.

Despite tallying more than 7,800 yards of total offense, Alabama struggled to protect Young last season, allowing 42 sacks. With Tyler Steen poised to take over Evan Neal’s spot at left tackle, the Crimson Tide will likely turn to JC Latham to man the right tackle position during his sophomore season.

Latham played in all 14 games last season and was thrown into the fire late in the season when he took over for the injured Emil Ekiyor Jr. against Cincinnati. With Latham at right guard, the Crimson Tide tallied a season-high in rushing yards with 301. The former top-ranked offensive lineman in 2021 will be relied on once again to bring some stability to an albeit shaky front five.

Another player that can aid the offensive line and Alabama’s run game is JUCO transfer Miles Kitselman. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end is a physical blocker who can give defenses fits in running situations.

“I like the way he moves,” Cameron Latu told BamaCentral. “He’s a really quick learner. I can see him being a really good player for us.”

Kitselman played offensive and defensive line at Lyndon High School, before switching to tight end at Hutchinson Community College. He played in three games with the Blue Dragons and caught two passes for 16 yards and a touchdown.

James Burnip was adequate in his first season of American football last year. The Australian punter averaged just 39.13 yards per punt but rarely left any room for opposing returns. This season, Alabama will hope he adds more distance to his kicks while maintaining his consistency.

Burnip already showed glimpses of improvement at A-Day averaging 42 yards per punt on just four attempts. Although fans hope to see as little as No. 86 as possible, Burnip’s ability to pin opposing teams deep inside their own 20-yard line is a huge asset for field position.