re: 2018-19 Roster/Depth Chart breakdowns and updates

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Another Alabama offensive lineman is reportedly leaving the football program.

Redshirt sophomore Brandon Kennedy is transferring, according to AL.com’s Matt Zenitz. The reserve lineman will be immediately eligible at his next stop as a graduate transfer.

Kennedy was the Crimson Tide’s backup center a season ago and during the team’s 15 spring practices. Last year, he saw action in three games off the bench against Fresno State, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss but suffered a season-ending foot injury early in the year that limited his playing time. Because of that, Kennedy received a medical redshirt at season’s end.

The Wetumpka, Ala., native played in seven games as a redshirt freshman in 2016. He saw his first career action in the season opener versus USC, playing six snaps in the fourth quarter.

Kennedy is the second reserve offensive lineman to transfer from Alabama of late, joining Dallas Warmack. Like Warmack, Kennedy was part of the Crimson Tide’s 2015 recruiting class. With them leaving, only nine of the 24 members of that class are still at UA.

Kennedy, Warmack and linebacker Mekhi Brown have all transferred this offseason.

A 4-star prospect out of Wetumpka High School, Kennedy was the No. 10-ranked player in the state of Alabama, the No. 19 offensive guard and No. 296 overall prospect in the 2015 recruiting cycle, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings.

With the two linemen transfers, Alabama will have 16 offensive linemen on its roster for 2018 after its two signees from its 2018 signing class arrive on the Tide campus this summer.

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The Tide will now have four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster in Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts, and Mac Jones. Hatcher welcome the competition.

"No problem," he said. "I would love to learn from those guys, compete with those guys, and be friends with those guys. I want to surround myself with the best and they're the best in the college game right now. I'm excited to be around those guys and learn and compete with them... to be the best I can be."

Another top Alabama target at Pulaski Academy is the nation's No. 1 tight end for 2019 in Hudson Henry. The Tide now has another recruiter going after the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder. "Definitely getting in his ear," Hatcher said. "I'm going to go see him tonight before I leave actually and do my own recruiting."

A 6-foot-1, 204 pounds, Hatcher is rated the No. 53 dual-threat quarterback and No. 2,182 overall player in the country, per the 247Sports Composite. Last season he threw for 5,779 yards and 66 touchdowns, including a 757-yard, six touchdown performance in one outing.

Hatcher will arrive on campus Saturday and move in on Sunday.

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Hudson Henry

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While in Utah recently for recruiting, Tosh Lupoi stopped by to visit Cameron Latu and ended up in a bathroom with the four-star linebacker, his brother and his mom. The Alabama defensive coordinator was curious about Latu's weight, so he had him step on a scale in what ended up being a crowded bathroom.

The weight, 242 pounds, was a good number for the 6-5 Latu, who has benefitted from a sport that's helped him stay in shape in advance of joining the Crimson Tide this weekend. Rugby. "He's been working out and running a lot because that's what he was suggested to do," said Latu's mom, Jill Argust. "But playing rugby has been helping him get prepared as well."

Latu played for his high school's club rugby team the last three years along with his twin brother, Nathan. This latest season ended this past weekend. In addition to the games, they also practiced three days a week. "His brother started first (with rugby), and Cameron would watch him and wanted to get involved," Argust said. "Then, he just fell in love with it. And he's pretty good at it."

FloRugby recently tabbed Latu as the 11th-best No. 8 man in high school rugby, according to his team's Instagram page. Latu and his brother were their team's top two scorers. And, like with football, Latu can deliver some vicious hits, as his brother knows all too well. They were once both converging on an opposing player but instead rammed into each other. Latu's brother ended up with a concussion.

Soon, though, Latu will have a different sort of physical challenge, Alabama's summer workouts. The one-time BYU commit is one of three highly-ranked outside linebackers set to enroll this weekend, which will add some more young talent behind veteran players like Anfernee Jennings, Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis. Latu graduates from high school Friday, has a graduation party Saturday and then leaves for Alabama Sunday.

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Like most of his Alabama teammates, Jared Mayden is using the offseason to hone his skills. Before returning to Tuscaloosa for summer workouts and eventually preseason camp, Mayden, who will be a junior this fall, spent some time improving his footwork this past Saturday.

Following the Crimson Tide’s 2018 A-Day Game, head coach Nick Saban named six defensive backs that stood out to him during Alabama’s 15 spring practice sessions. It was an expected group, but Mayden, who spent time with the second team, was among them.

“I think that everyone improved,” Saban after the A-Day Game on April 21. Trevon (Diggs) had a really good spring, Xavier McKinney had a really good spring. Deionte (Thompson) was solid in the two games that he played (last season) and he was solid this spring.

"Saivion (Smith) made a lot of improvement. I still think he’s not quite sure on what he’s doing all the time, but the fact that he was here this semester and this spring probably was a really good thing for him. Shyheim Carter made a lot of progress.

“So, these guys made a lot of progress. Jared Mayden made a lot of progress and did a nice job. Now, he played with the twos today, but he’s played with the ones some. So, those six guys -- past that, we need to make a significant improvement in the players that we have and the guys that we’re bringing in.”

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As BamaOnLine reported last month, there was some uncertainty surrounding Alabama signee Jordan Davis' eligibility after the Memphis (Tenn.) Southwind product did not enroll with the rest of the signees on Memorial Day weekend.

On Tuesday those uncertainties officially came to fruition as Davis confirmed to BOL that he is enrolled at Copiah-Lincoln Community College (Miss.). "I am the starting D-end," Davis told BOL over text message of his new school. AL.com's Michael Casagrande was the first to report Davis enrolled at Copiah-Lincoln.

The four-star defensive end was the longest-tenured commitment in the 2018 class after committing to the Crimson Tide in December of 2018. Davis was one of Alabama's top recruiters in the class. One of the Tide signees Davis worked the hardest was four-star wideout Jaylen Waddle.

Last December after former UA defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt took over at Tennessee, there was some concern that Davis may give the Volunteers a look with the new staff in place. However, the Tide commit stayed true to his original decision and signed with Alabama in the Early Signing Period.

“The communication was one,” Davis' mother, Tiffany Harmon, said of what kept them comfortable with the Tide. “The relationship with Alabama. The professionalism. Just keeping a good rapport and being consistent. I think consistency is the key with the parents for any university.

“I’m very satisfied and I am very confident in the University of Alabama. I’m very confident in the program, with Mr. (Nick) Saban, Coach (Joe) Pannunzio, Coach Tosh (Lupoi) … I’m comfortable and confident in the program and the school period. If I could add anything, I would like to add for the parents to go out on these visits with their young adults and ask the questions that maybe they’re not getting answers to, so you can get the gist of what the school is offering.”

Davis tells BOL that he plans to make his way back to Alabama in 2019 after completing his time at the junior college level. At 6-foot-5, 238 pounds, Davis was rated the No. 6 weak-side defensive end and the No. 108 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings.

With Davis enrolled at Co-Lin, that officially completes the 2018 recruiting cycle news. One of the other remaining question marks was when former four-star defensive tackle Christian Barmore would arrive on campus. He enrolled at the Capstone earlier this month.

The Tide signed the No. 6 class in the country and the No. 2 class in the SEC in 2018, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings, which snapped a seven year run atop the recruiting standings. However, Alabama is back in pole position to restart a new streak as it has sat No. 1 in the rankings for 2019 since the beginning of May.

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ATLANTA -- Alabama will have one less linebacker this fall. At SEC Media Days on Wednesday, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban confirmed why Keith Holcombe was left off Alabama’s 2018 roster in its latest media guide, as he announced the redshirt senior will focus on baseball and will not be a part of the football this fall.

“Keith Holcombe has done an outstanding job for us,” Saban said at the College Football Hall of Fame. “He’s been a great contributor not only on the field but a human being, outstanding student. Been a really, really good leader for us. And I would love for him to come back and be a part of our team, but I understand that he wanted to play baseball.

“He’s always wanted to play baseball. He’s had an opportunity to play baseball. We decided to give him the opportunity to go full-time with baseball this year and then he’d make a decision about whether he wanted to continue that year of eligibility of football. … And he has made that decision to play baseball and not be a part of our team.”

Holcombe opted to focus solely on baseball this spring instead of pulling double duty by going through spring practice with the football team and playing left field for coach Brad Bohannon.

The Tide’s everyday left fielder for most of the season, Holcombe played in 47 games with 45 starts. He ranked third on the team in hits (51) and finished baseball season tied for third with 11 multi-hit games, including three of UA’s six four-hit performances in 2018. In those games, he has finished a perfect 4-for-4 each time and reached base safely in every plate appearance.

On the gridiron last year, the Tuscaloosa, Ala., native provided depth for a linebacking corps that saw several players suffer injuries throughout the season. Making one start against Mississippi State, Holcombe totaled 38 tackles, including a team-high 11 on special teams.

With Holcombe choosing to continue only playing baseball for Alabama, the Tide football team is left without much experienced inside linebacker depth for the upcoming 2018 season. Mack Wilson and Dylan Moses are slated to be the starters at Mike and Will, but besides the pair of former 5-star recruits, no returning player has as much game experience as Holcombe.

The recent dismissal of VanDarius Cowan for violating team rules and injury to Terrell Lewis also adds to the lack of depth for the Crimson Tide’s 2018 linebacking corps ahead of fall camp.

“I’m not comfortable at any position on our team relative to the depth that we have,” Saban said. “I wish we had more depth, I wish we had more players, I wish more guys could contribute. But regardless of that circumstance, we will try to develop and create whatever we have to do to try to develop the depth at any position on our team. So, if it involves moving players, if it involves trying to enhance the development of younger players, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Alabama opens the 2018 football season on Sept. 1 against Louisville in Orlando, Fla.

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Brandon "Ale" Kaho is headed to Bama.

The former five-star linebacker from Reno, Nev., was released from his national letter of intent with Washington on Monday and a source close to the situation has informed 247Sports that Alabama will be the landing spot.

It is expected that Kaho, the No. 1-rated inside linebacker in the 2018 class according to the 247Sports rankings, will depart for Tuscaloosa as early as Wednesday night.

The 6-foot-1, 218-pound prospect was a longtime commit to Brigham Young during the recruiting process before flipping his commitment to the Huskies just prior to the early signing period last December.

He signed with Washington last year and arrived in Seattle this summer, but never enrolled while wrapping up required coursework. Huskies head coach Chris Petersen cited "personal reasons" for the release of the program's highest-rated incoming freshman.

Kaho was a U.S. Army All-American and Polynesian Bowl participant. He was the nation's No. 133 overall prospect in the 2018 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

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