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Next Year's returning players

S

skrayper77

All-American
Sep 4, 2003
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Not including potential signees, here's where we stand for next year (based on certain players assumed to go to the draft early). Starters marked with * / Significant playing time (almost partial starters) marked with #

**OFFENSE**
QB - Coker / Bateman / Cornwell
RB - Henry# / Drake# / Jones / Tenpenny
HB/FB - Freitag / McCarron
WR - Stewart# / Sims / Black / Foster / Falkins
TE - Howard# / Ball / Flournoy-Smith / Greene
OT - Robinson* / Hill / Jackson
OG - Taylor / Bozeman / Pierschbacher / Luatua
C - Kelly* / Bozeman / Casher

Seniors leaving:
Sims (QB)*, Vogler (TE)*, White (WR)*, Kouandjio (OG)*, Brown (OG)*, Shepherd (OG)*, Fowler (HB/FB)*, Jones (WR)

Probable declaring early (with level of certainty of departure):
Cooper (WR)* - 100%
Yeldon (RB)* - 75%

Total returning starters - 2 (Kelly, Robinson)
Total returning heavily used backups - 4 (Stewart, Howard, Henry, Drake)


**DEFENSE**
DE - Allen*, Reed*, Pettway#, Tomlinson#, Liner#, Hand#
NT - Robinson*, Lake
SLB - Devall*, Anderson, Lee
MLB - Foster#, Hamilton
WLB - Ragland*, Foster#, Jones
JACK - Anderson, Williams
DB - Jackson*, Jones*, Brown, Smith, Sylve#
FS - Smith#, Washington
SS - Jones
STAR - Smith, Smith#

Seniors Leaving:
DePriest (MLB)*, Dickson (JACK)*, Perry (FS)*, Williams (STAR)*

Departing early:
Collins (SS)* - 100%

Total Returning Starters - 7 (Allen, Reed, Robinson, Devall, Ragland, Jackson, Jones)
Total returning heavily used backups - 7 (Pettway, Tomlinson, Liner, Hand, Foster, Sylve, Smith)

Special Teams:
P - Scott*, Morris
K - Griffith*, Scott, Raborn
LS - Mazza*
H - Bateman*, Morris
PR - Jones (Cyrus)
KR - Jones (Cyrus), Stewart

Seniors Leaving:
Jones (Christion)

Departing Early:
Collins - 100%

Total Returning Starters - 4 (Scott, Griffith, Mazza, Bateman)

Finding snap counts was hard, so a lot of the heavily used backups was more by memory. Feel free to correct any incorrect assumptions on playing time.

I think we lose 3 early to the draft (Yeldon, Cooper, and Collins) - of those three, I really think Yeldon is the only one with a slim chance of coming back.
I think Kelly stays, though if he gets a high enough draft rating he could leave as well.

The OL will be rebuilding next year. Lots of talent, but not a lot of experience. Of course, that's nothing new for us - we came into this year with only 37 combined starts along the offensive line, or tied for 108th among all FBS programs. (Data can be found here - I moved it to a spreadsheet for easier sorting)


Depth chart was located here
 
rolltide_21

rolltide_21

Hall of Fame
Dec 9, 2007
11,482
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Thanks for this post! A lot of experienced talent coming back. Saban has done a great job building depth for this year and solid starters/role player for the future.
 
KrAzY3

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
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Good breakdown, the defense should be nasty next year. To the point that I'm not sure the offense matters as much, especially with a veteran special teams unit. The offense will be inexperienced, but with a lot of talent ready to emerge so hopefully they can get comfortable.
 
J

JustNeedMe81

Hall of Fame
Sep 30, 2011
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Huntsville, Al
skrayper77 said:
Not including potential signees, here's where we stand for next year (based on certain players assumed to go to the draft early). Starters marked with * / Significant playing time (almost partial starters) marked with #

**OFFENSE**
QB - Coker / Bateman / Cornwell
RB - Henry# / Drake# / Jones / Tenpenny I expect Jones and Drake to take over top 3...
HB/FB - Freitag / McCarron He's not coming back to the team LOL
WR - Stewart# / Sims / Black / Foster / Falkins
TE - Howard# / Ball / Flournoy-Smith / Greene Don't be suprised to see him moved to FB
OT - Robinson* / Hill / Jackson
OG - Taylor / Bozeman / Pierschbacher / Luatua
C - Kelly* / Bozeman / Casher

Seniors leaving:
Sims (QB)*, Vogler (TE)*, White (WR)*, Kouandjio (OG)*, Brown (OG)*, Shepherd (OG)*, Fowler (HB/FB)*, Jones (WR)

Probable declaring early (with level of certainty of departure):
Cooper (WR)* - 100%
Yeldon (RB)* - 75% More likely 99 percent.


Total returning starters - 2 (Kelly, Robinson)
Total returning heavily used backups - 4 (Stewart, Howard, Henry, Drake)


**DEFENSE**
DE - Allen*, Reed*, Pettway#, Tomlinson#, Liner#, Hand#
NT - Robinson*, Lake
SLB - Devall*, Anderson, Lee
MLB - Foster#, Hamilton
WLB - Ragland*, Foster#, Jones
JACK - Anderson, Williams
DB - Jackson*, Jones*, Brown, Smith, Sylve#
FS - Smith#, Washington
SS - Jones
STAR - Smith, Smith#

Seniors Leaving:
DePriest (MLB)*, Dickson (JACK)*, Perry (FS)*, Williams (STAR)*

Departing early:
Collins (SS)* - 100%

Total Returning Starters - 7 (Allen, Reed, Robinson, Devall, Ragland, Jackson, Jones)
Total returning heavily used backups - 7 (Pettway, Tomlinson, Liner, Hand, Foster, Sylve, Smith)

Special Teams:
P - Scott*, Morris
K - Griffith*, Scott, Raborn
LS - Mazza*
H - Bateman*, Morris
PR - Jones (Cyrus)
KR - Jones (Cyrus), Stewart

Seniors Leaving:
Jones (Christion)

Departing Early:
Collins - 100%

Total Returning Starters - 4 (Scott, Griffith, Mazza, Bateman)

Finding snap counts was hard, so a lot of the heavily used backups was more by memory. Feel free to correct any incorrect assumptions on playing time.

I think we lose 3 early to the draft (Yeldon, Cooper, and Collins) - of those three, I really think Yeldon is the only one with a slim chance of coming back.
I think Kelly stays, though if he gets a high enough draft rating he could leave as well.

The OL will be rebuilding next year. Lots of talent, but not a lot of experience. Of course, that's nothing new for us - we came into this year with only 37 combined starts along the offensive line, or tied for 108th among all FBS programs. (Data can be found here - I moved it to a spreadsheet for easier sorting)


Depth chart was located here
Click to expand...
See my comments in Red. I think we'll see few transfers as well... and don't forget about redshirted players...
 
G

gtgilbert

All-American
Aug 12, 2011
3,210
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great viewpoint.

I'd put Grant Hill into the 'used regularly' bucket. he played RT a good bit this year when Cam was hurt and Shep moved over and was the 6th man in 2013 as well. Think we'll be ok there, but it will be, again, a rebuilding year.

I'd also put Anderson, Lee, Williams, and Evans into that bucket. Anderson actually got a lot of reps through the year in different packages as we were trying to keep the edge rushers fresh. Williams and Evans both got a lot of reps also. Lee played a good bit both inside and out.

Even though Foster started the first game, he didn't play much more on D in meaningful situations. He was really only out there once games were well in hand.

At DB, don't forget Humphrey. Hopefully he'll be in the mix. Also a bunch of those guys like washington and M smith were regulars in the dime package this year so have a lot of reps.

the situation at Safety scares me right now although you can add Clark to the list assuming he heals up well. we're razor thin and barely have the bodies to fill out what is now really our base 4-2-5 defense. Maybe we'll see a corner back at the star spot or one of these smaller/faster OLBs like Miller will be able to play more of that role.
 
S

skrayper77

All-American
Sep 4, 2003
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I agree the defense should be stout - the only real issue will be (IMO) at the safety positions. Geno Smith has come on strong, but Collins will be hard to replace and Laurence Jones has played very little this year. SS will be the only spot for concern in the defense. I almost expect Maurice Smith to aim for that spot, and Jones to end up at JACK (depending on incoming talent) or possibly Tony Brown at JACK.

Offense should still be good, I just think it may take time to gel (like this one did, honestly). Identifying weapons at WR will be key. Coker will likely be the starting QB, though I think Bateman could give him a run.

I'm avoiding listing of incoming players until they're all signed and qualified. Yes, some are practically locks (like Barnett) but I'd rather not focus on players not yet on campus.

I would love it if Cooper, Collins and Yeldon all came back, but honestly it doesn't do them much good (MAYBE Yeldon, but I doubt it). Cooper is a top 10, possibly top 5 lock (depending on team needs) and Collins is nearly a first round lock himself (barring anything bad at the combine or during the playoffs). I see Yeldon in the second to third round, especially because he's great at catching out of the backfield (a critical component of any RB going to the next level these days)
 
D

day-day

Hall of Fame
Jan 2, 2005
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Having 3 seniors on the offensive line is a big deal for this year making the offensive line suspect for next season. I know there are some highly rated players set to fill in the holes but this is my biggest area of concern for next season.
 
JBama_in_PCOLA

JBama_in_PCOLA

TideFans Legend
Sep 15, 2010
41,682
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day-day said:
Having 3 seniors on the offensive line is a big deal for this year making the offensive line suspect for next season. I know there are some highly rated players set to fill in the holes but this is my biggest area of concern for next season.
Click to expand...
Communication is key. If they can get that down then we will be good there. Jackson should be a monster on the line. Grant Hill as well.


Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus RTR
 
tusks_n_raider

tusks_n_raider

Hall of Fame
May 13, 2009
12,226
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Before the season I would have said that this was 100% going to be Yeldon's last year. But nagging injuries and mediocre blocking have really hampered his production.

I'm starting to think we have a 75% or better chance he returns for his Senior year to increase his draft status like AJ did.

I love TJ to death but I just don't think the NFL will grade him in the Top 2 rounds right now. He needs to come back with some added weight and have a Doak Walker Award type Season. Jmho of course and me wanting him for one more year....but with some honest truth mixed in.
 
Last edited:
G

gtgilbert

All-American
Aug 12, 2011
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skrayper77 said:
I agree the defense should be stout - the only real issue will be (IMO) at the safety positions. Geno Smith has come on strong, but Collins will be hard to replace and Laurence Jones has played very little this year. SS will be the only spot for concern in the defense. I almost expect Maurice Smith to aim for that spot, and Jones to end up at JACK (depending on incoming talent) or possibly Tony Brown at JACK.

Offense should still be good, I just think it may take time to gel (like this one did, honestly). Identifying weapons at WR will be key. Coker will likely be the starting QB, though I think Bateman could give him a run.

I'm avoiding listing of incoming players until they're all signed and qualified. Yes, some are practically locks (like Barnett) but I'd rather not focus on players not yet on campus.

I would love it if Cooper, Collins and Yeldon all came back, but honestly it doesn't do them much good (MAYBE Yeldon, but I doubt it). Cooper is a top 10, possibly top 5 lock (depending on team needs) and Collins is nearly a first round lock himself (barring anything bad at the combine or during the playoffs). I see Yeldon in the second to third round, especially because he's great at catching out of the backfield (a critical component of any RB going to the next level these days)
Click to expand...

I think you mean STAR instead of JACK. STAR is the nickel back; JACK is the hybrid OLB/DE.
 
tusks_n_raider

tusks_n_raider

Hall of Fame
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BamainBoston said:
Cooper should be even better as a senior.
Click to expand...
If CLK would have been the OC for Coop's entire Bama career he would probably have had 5,000 yrds receiving in just his three seasons.

He's going to finish around 3,700 anyway. Just an amazing 3 year run. He's the best Div 1 WR ever imho.
 
bamamc1

bamamc1

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Oct 24, 2011
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tusks_n_raider said:
If CLK would have been the OC for Coop's entire Bama career he would probably have had 5,000 yrds receiving in just his three seasons.

He's going to finish around 3,700 anyway. Just an amazing 3 year run. He's the best Div 1 WR ever imho.
Click to expand...
They would be using miles instead of yards.
 
T

teamplayer

Hall of Fame
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JBama_in_PCOLA said:
That defense, especially the DLine is going to be terrifying....


Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus RTR
Click to expand...
No doubt! If I remember correctly, I think we only lose four or five defensive players from the three deep chart listed on Tidefans. Returning 27 or 28 out of our top 33 players should make our defense incredible if they work hard. The offense will need some guys to mature and step up, but the talent will be there.
 
B

bamanix

1st Team
Mar 24, 2010
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cooper would be foolish to return. he is a lock for first round. yeldon very iffy, we have henry, drake, jones, tenpenny and good freshmen coming in at rb. I worry as I have the last two years, about corners, safeties, and off linemen. I think cotton and pettibon will be starters 2015. should be fun again for 2015. lots of talent coming in and good ones remaining.
 
TideMom2Boys

TideMom2Boys

Hall of Fame
Nov 17, 2010
20,214
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tusks_n_raider said:
Before the season I would have said that this was 100% going to be Yeldon's last year. But nagging injuries and mediocre blocking have really hampered his production.

I'm starting to think we have a 75% or better chance he returns for his Senior year to increase his draft status like AJ did.

I love TJ to death but I just don't think the NFL will grade him in the Top 2 rounds right now. He needs to come back with some added weight and have a Doak Walker Award type Season. Jmho of course and me wanting him for one more year....but with some honest truth mixed in.
Click to expand...
Only problem with this is the injury scares we have had in the SEC lately...like Drake, Todd Gurley and Lattimore. He might look at them and get scared of what could happen.
 
C

Capt. Jack

Suspended
Jun 20, 2006
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I'm anxious to see how Tyren Jones develops at RB. He runs strong and the staff seems to be getting more comfortable with putting him in the game.
 
J

JustNeedMe81

Hall of Fame
Sep 30, 2011
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I don't know why Everyone seems to think Yeldon is at least 50 to 70 percent of returning back to the team? There is no value in having him returning for senior year, unless Alabama takes out million dollar insurance policy, which I don't think they will do that. Having him back year will not improve the stock, and on top of that, that will create lot of issues on RB depth chart and can cost us Tenpenny and/or Jones. Drake coming back on top of that, and the backfield is all suddenly crowded especially when we have Bo coming in. While we didn't have any "issues" on the team this year, next year will be very interesting with the running backs, and TJ will be fine going forward. As long he perform well in playoff, his Draft stockw will improve. We need to start preparing for a life without Yeldon in the spring.

Capt. Jack said:
I'm anxious to see how Tyren Jones develops at RB. He runs strong and the staff seems to be getting more comfortable with putting him in the game.
Click to expand...
 
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