Next year’s defense

The defense won't improve unless we have a Charlie Strong type running the D.

If Moses comes back I think we could have a pretty good and, almost as importantly, deep defense. If he doesn't, it could still be good, but there would be a few more questions.

DE - Byron Young (SO), Justin Eboigbe (SO), Will Anderson (FR)
NG - DJ Dale (SO), Christian Barmore (R-SO), Phildarian Mathis (JR)
DE - LaBryan Ray (SR), Chris Braswell (FR)
OLB - Ben Davis (SR), Drew Sanders (FR)
ILB - Christian Harris (SO), Shane Lee (SO), Josh McMillon (SR)
ILB - Dylan Moses (SR), Ale Kaho (JR), Demouy Kennedy (FR)
OLB - Chris Allen (JR), King Mwikuta (SO)
CB - Patrick Surtain (JR), Scooby Carter (SO)
CB - Josh Jobe (JR), Jalyn Armour-Davis (R-SO)
FS - Jordan Battle (SO), Daniel Wright (JR)
SS - DeMarcco Hellams (SO)
STAR - Wright/Branch/Carter?

We have a lot of really talented and explosive freshmen coming in and most of them are going to be able to do what we used to do - start as backups/play when comfortable. This past year we had guys who weren't as talented or ready and they had to start right away.

I mean that list doesn't include Quandarrius Robinson, Brian Branch of Tim Smith (if he sticks). Those guys are all expected to be really, really good players.

HUGE difference

Don't forget McMillon. If he gets a medical hardship and has one more year of eligibility, that's one more senior on the depth chart who knows the defense.

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Good list. I honestly could see Barmore swinging between end and nose. He's too disruptive to be a backup for another season.

I think up front we are going to be pretty good but the back end is going to need to come together.

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Yep - agree. If Moses and McMillon come back they are going to have a lot of options in terms of mixing and matching guys in the Front 7. A lot of versatile guys and a whole bunch of guys who have experience and should be able to play different spots mentally. Basically the polar opposite of this season. This year's defense came in with a slim margin for error (which was blown up almost immediately). Next year's has a much wider margin and has a whole lot of upside, IMHO.

The good news in the back end is that Battle clearly looked like a guy who is going to be a stud when he played this year. Everyone is supposedly sky high on Hellams. So, we'll have some growing pains, but even then those guys both have already had a full year in the system and Battle got significant PT.

Not to mention - what if Sopsher truly develops? What if Shane Lee slims down and gains a few ticks of speed?

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How does the defensive players in this recruiting class compare to the 2019 one? I know there are star ratings and all that, but how about on film?

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I don't pretend to be a film guy, but from everything I've read it is the best overall group of LBs Saban has ever signed. Braswell is a stud at DE. Branch is a stud at S. The only area that is a little concerning is DT if we lose Tim Smith.

The line will be stout with Barmore, Ray, and Dale upfront. If they all can stay healthy then this front group can be scary good.

The key to the mlbs will be if Moses returns. If he returns, I see him and Harris manning the middle, with depth being provided by Lee, McMillon (6th year), Kaho, Benton, and the freshmen.

The olbs have me a little worried, we have bodies there but none have really proven themselves yet. Allen has potential and seemed like he was a bit heavy this year, combined with coming back from injury.

At corner we will have Surtain on one side and probably up to a handful of guys manning for the other side. Jobe, Scooby, Banks, Williams (juco), and possibly Turnage will be an interesting battle this spring.

Safety/star will also depend on if a player returns. If McKinney returns, he will play back there with Battle. If McKinney leaves, I see Battle and possibly Hellams. Star has Armour-Davis written all over it and I can also see Malachi Moore playing there down the road.

The key will be who will be running the defense, I think we have a chance to have a very good defense if we can remain healthy.

And finally, just the fact that we are going to have 11 guys on the field who have at least a year of real experience with the defense is going to be incredible. We literally had at least 4 guys on the field this season (and more than that quite frequently) who didn't even have a full year of learning the system running it in a game, led alone a full off-season in the weight program.

I think the jump next year could be pretty significant.

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I think OLB is a spot where the incoming freshmen have a chance to make an impact, along with some of the guys who didn't play a lot this year.

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This!!! Drew Sanders, Braswell, and Robinson have a chance to make some noise and sprinkle in the freshmen from this past season and we have a chance to have a solid group.

I just hope to god that Barmore can do whatever it takes to stay out of the doghouse and be a full time starter

If someone can adequately replace Jennings and Lewis it should be a really solid defense