re: Bama Football Tidings

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Alabama will have its first practice of fall camp Friday afternoon.

Here’s an educated guess at what the team’s depth chart looks like entering fall camp:

Quarterback

1. Junior Tua Tagovailoa
2. Redshirt sophomore Mac Jones
3. Freshman Taulia Tagovailoa
4. Freshman Paul Tyson

The only question here is whether Taulia Tagovailoa can overtake Jones for the backup quarterback spot. Jones is the clear leader in that competition heading into fall camp.

“Mac has made a lot of improvements,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said recently. “He’s matured very nicely at the position. He’s a very bright guy. He’s got good knowledge of the position. ... We’ve been pleased with his progress. We’re confident that he’s capable. It’s our job to be able to get him to a point where he has enough consistency to be able to play if we need him to.”

Running back
1. Junior Najee Harris
2. Junior Brian Robinson
3. Redshirt freshman Jerome Ford/freshman Trey Sanders
5. Freshman Keilan Robinson

Sanders seems to have gotten off to a good start at Alabama this summer. The five-star recruit is expected to be a major factor in the competition for playing time at running back.

It sounds like redshirt sophomore Chadarius Townsend, who worked with the running backs during the spring, will probably now shift back to doing more with the wide receivers.

Wide receiver
Z — 1. Junior Henry Ruggs, 2. Redshirt freshman Slade Bolden, 3. Freshman John Metchie
X — 1. Junior DeVonta Smith, 2. Redshirt sophomore Tyrell Shavers/redshirt freshman Xavier Williams
Slot — 1. Junior Jerry Jeudy, 2. Sophomore Jaylen Waddle, 3. Redshirt sophomore Chadarius Townsend

Jeudy isn’t the only Alabama receiver who could end up going early in next year’s NFL draft. Ruggs, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.25 seconds during the Crimson Tide’s junior pro day, enters the season with a second-round grade from one of the NFL’s scouting services, according to a source.

Overall, this group — with Jeudy, Ruggs, Smith and Waddle — should be as good and dynamic as any wide receiver crew in the country.

As far as the backups, Bolden has been mentioned as someone who stood out during the summer.

Tight end
1. Redshirt junior Miller Forristall
2. Senior Giles Amos
3. Redshirt freshman Cameron Latu/redshirt sophomore Major Tennison
5. Freshman Jahleel Billingsley

This group is a significant question mark for Alabama, even more so with Kedrick James now gone and with Forristall working back from a broken foot he sustained earlier this summer.

Forristall is expected to be limited through at least the first couple weeks of fall camp.

Billingsley, who arrived this summer, will add to the competition for playing time.

Offensive line
Left tackle — 1. Junior Alex Leatherwood, 2. Redshirt junior Scott Lashley
Left guard — 1. Redshirt freshman Emil Ekiyor, 2. Freshman Evan Neal
Center — 1. Redshirt junior Chris Owens, 2. Redshirt sophomore Hunter Brannon
Right guard — 1. Redshirt senior Matt Womack, 2. Redshirt junior Deonte Brown
Right tackle — 1. Junior Jedrick Wills, 2. Redshirt freshman Tommy Brown

The biggest wild-card here will be Neal, the 6-foot-7, 360-pound five-star recruit who got some first-team reps during the spring. Neal is looked at as someone who has the potential to be a first-round left tackle down the road. For now though, his best shot at playing time is at guard with the Tide having Leatherwood and Wills at tackle.

Another player to keep an eye on is Florida State graduate transfer Landon Dickerson, a redshirt junior who was a starter for the Seminoles each of the last three years when healthy. Dickerson saw time at both guard and tackle at Florida State.

Defensive line
Defensive end — 1. Senior Raekwon Davis, 2. Redshirt sophomore Phidarian Mathis, 3. Redshirt freshman Christian Barmore
Nose tackle — 1. Freshman DJ Dale, 2. Redshirt freshman Stephon Wynn, 3. Senior Tevita Musika/freshman Ishmael Sopsher
Defensive end — 1. Junior LaBryan Ray, 2. Freshman Justin Eboigbe, 3. Freshman Antonio Alfano

Ray is working back from ankle surgery and, like Forristall, is expected to be limited through at least the first couple weeks of fall camp.

That could lead to Eboigbe getting a decent amount of first-team reps early in camp. Word is the four-star recruit got first-team reps at defensive end during the summer with Ray out.

Outside linebacker
Jack — 1. Redshirt senior Anfernee Jennings, 2. Redshirt sophomore Chris Allen
Sam — 1. Redshirt junior Terrell Lewis, 2. Freshman Kevin Harris

It sounds like Lewis is feeling and looking better after sitting out most of the spring while continuing to work back from the ACL injury he suffered last summer.

Depth is a serious issue here, especially with former five-star recruit Eyabi Anoma no longer being a part of the program.

Inside linebacker
Mike — 1. Junior Dylan Moses, 2. Freshman Shane Lee, 3. Sophomore Jaylen Moody
Will — 1. Redshirt senior Josh McMillon, 2. Redshirt junior Markail Benton, 3. Sophomore Ale Kaho

McMillon remains the leader in the competition for the Will linebacker job.

Defensive back
Cornerback — 1. Senior Trevon Diggs, 2. Redshirt junior Nigel Knott
Cornerback — 1. Sophomore Josh Jobe, 2. Redshirt freshman Jalyn Armour-Davis/freshman Scooby Carter
Star/nickel back — 1. Sophomore Patrick Surtain, 2. Senior Shyheim Carter
Free safety — 1. Junior Xavier McKinney, 2. Redshirt sophomore Daniel Wright, 3. Freshman Jordan Battle
Strong safety — 1. Senior Jared Mayden, 2. Shyheim Carter, 3. Sophomore Eddie Smith/freshman DeMarcco Hellams

It sounds like Surtain is still the man at Star, so he’ll continue to slide inside whenever the Tide has five or more defensive backs on the field, which will be most of the time.

As far as the young guys, the two summer enrollees at safety — Hellams and Battle — both apparently did some good things this summer.

It seems like Alabama will start out another one of the young guys — four-star freshman Brandon Turnage — as a cornerback.

Matt Zenitz is an Alabama and Auburn reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mzenitz.

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