Offseason 3-2-1: Alabama Crimson Tide position battles and workout warriors
With just a few weeks remaining before the start of the Alabama Crimson Tide preseason football practice, now seems like a good time to offer up a special offseason 3-2-1, where we provide three observations, two questions, and one prediction regarding Alabama football.
In this edition, we'll discuss linebacker positional battles, Alabama’s front end schedule, in-state recruiting, new running back Trey Sanders, and some offseason workout nuggets and more.
Three Things We've Learned
1. There is a positional battle for the Will inside linebacker
Alabama’s defense returns its leading tackler from the 2018 season in Dylan Moses who will move to the Mike linebacker position from the Will position for his junior season. Moses, who was recently named as a Sporting News Pre-Season All-American, will call the defense, but the Will position does not have a solidified starter entering fall camp. Senior Joshua McMillon, true freshman Shane Lee, sophomore Ale Kaho, and true freshman Christian Harris will compete for playing time. While McMillon has the seniority factor, Lee at 250 pounds turned heads during the spring season and recorded an interception during the spring game.
Kaho has a ton of athleticism, and new addition Christian Harris has shown out this summer during summer workouts. Jaylen Moody and Markail Benton, who are listed as Mike linebackers, could also make a push for the starting position at Will, both Moody and Benton continue to trend upwards in off-season workouts. So as you can see, while Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding does not yet have a starter at Will, he has plenty of talent on the roster to comb through.
2. The Tide is big favorites against Duke, NMSU, South Carolina, and Southern Miss
The Tide opens against Duke on August 31 in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Crimson Tide is 3-0 in Atlanta’s new stadium and odds shark has Alabama as an early -32.5 favorite with a score prediction of 50-14. In week two, the Tide plays its first home game of the season at Bryant-Denny against New Mexico State who was 3-9 last season, then the Crimson Tide travels to face South Carolina where even on the road in a hostile environment, Alabama is still an -18 point favorite. To cap off its front section of the schedule, the Tide takes on Southern Miss in another game where Alabama should be favored by at least three touchdowns. Since 1992, the Tide has beaten the Golden Eagles in 14 out of the last 15 meetings.
3. Alabama continues to take care of its backyard
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