Nick Saban along with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, receiver Jerry Jeudy, and linebacker Dylan Moses will address the media on Wednesday from Hoover, Alabama during SEC Media days and there are plenty of talking points regarding depth going into fall camp. Today, we kick off the week with a 3-2-1, where we’ll provide three observations, ask two questions, and make one prediction.
Three Observations
1. Does the season hinge on the health of Tagovailoa
Absolutely. While Alabama’s roster from top to bottom is filled with more high caliber talent compared to any other team in the country, how could one player’s health dictate the success of the entire season? Besides Tagovailoa being one of the top quarterbacks in college football, the lack of experience behind him at the position has created a nervousness for Crimson Tide fans. We’ve talked about it all summer: Is Tagovailoa prone to injury?
The obvious answer seems to be yes and unlike last season when Alabama could swap in Jalen Hurts as a quality back-up to continue to roll or even win games, this year if Tagovailoa is to have to exit out early or even exit out during late-game situations, fans will be cautiously optimistic on the back-ups at quarterback. The number two quarterback is Mac Jones, now a redshirt sophomore who threw for just 13 attempts last season for 123-yards with one touchdown.
Behind Jones, as the team’s number three quarterback is the younger brother of Tua, Taulia who is a true freshman with zero in-game experience. The good news is that both Jones and Taulia fared well during Alabama’s spring with Jones throwing for 217-yards with two touchdowns and Taulia throwing six completions off nine attempts and one touchdown. Also in the quarterback room is true freshman Paul Tyson who was one of five passing during the spring game with one interception which was returned for a touchdown.
2. Plenty of options to choose from at inside linebacker
Representing Alabama for the defense during SEC Media Days will be Dylan Moses. Moses, now a junior at Alabama led the team in tackles last season recording 86 tackles with 10 tackles for a loss. Moses will take over for Mack Wilson at the Mike position, but at the Will position, there will be a position battle ensuring during fall camp.
The contenders for the position are as followed: Joshua McMillon who is a red-shirt senior who recorded just 14 tackles last season, Shane Lee Jr., a true freshman that shined during Alabama’s spring game recording six solo tackles with an interception, Ale Kaho who is now a sophomore that recorded 10 tackles in 2018, Jaylen Moody another very talented sophomore who recorded five tackles during his freshman season, Markail Benton who is a red-sophomore who recorded 14 tackles last season, and freshman summer enrollee Christian Harris who has been turning heads in the weight room all summer long.
