First Look: Alabamas 2019 projected offensive depth chart

June 25, 2024

Alabama saved its worst offensive point output for its last game of the season, so the fact that four assistant coaches have left the program likely isn’t as upsetting to fans as it otherwise would have been. Gone are offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, offensive line coach Brent Key, quarterbacks coach Dan Enos and wide receivers coach Josh Gattis.

All is not lost. The Crimson Tide return the Heisman Trophy runner-up, the best wide receiving corps in the country and a crop of talent along the offensive line. Here’s an early look at how Alabama’s offense projects for 2019.

Quarterback

Starter: Tua Tagovailoa
Backup: Mac Jones

Overview: All Tagovailoa did in his first season as a starter is rewrite the school record book with more passing yards and touchdowns in a single season than any other quarterback before him. What that means is for the first time since AJ McCarron was a senior in 2013, there will be no quarterback competition. Jalen Hurts had the same situation in 2017, but Tagovailoa pushed him to the point of overtaking him. There’s no fear that Jones will do the same in 2019.

The unknown is who will be calling the plays for Tagovailoa. Will the new offensive coordinator continue with the RPO style that Tagovailoa thrived in for so long or does Nick Saban want to go back to a more power-style running game with a play-action pass game off it? Regardless, Clemson gave Tagovailoa problems by showing him one look before the snap and another after. He performed well enough against the Tigers, completing 22 of 34 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. Expect defenses to try to accomplish the same thing in 2019. Not every team has Clemson’s defenders, though, so don’t expect many replications.

Tagovailoa’s health, which was an issue at different points throughout the season, becomes more important next season because there’s no backup with the quality or experience that Hurts provided this season. That responsibility now falls to Jones, who played in 14 games but has attempted just 13 passes in his collegiate career. Behind them will be two true freshmen with family ties to the Crimson Tide. Paul Tyson is the great grandson of legendary coach Bear Bryant, and Taulia Tagovailoa is Tua’s younger brother.

Running back

Starter: Najee Harris
Backups: Brian Robinson, Jerome Ford, Trey Sanders

Overview: Harris finally gets the opportunity to be the bell cow he’s been longing for during his first two years in Tuscaloosa. Coming off a season in which get carried the ball 117 times, Harris thinks he’s capable of doing more, and he said as much to the San Francisco Chronicle after the national championship game. “I don’t know what to think,” Harris said. “I just know when my name is called, I’m going to do the best I can. That’s all I can control. … Hopefully, they can see that and give me the ball more. I don’t know. I’m not the offensive coordinator. I’m not the head coach.”

He averaged 6.7 yards per carry and had four rushing touchdowns, but with Damien Harris and an emerging Josh Jacobs in front of him, Najee Harris was often the third back. That’s going to change in 2019. He’ll get the carries he desires, but don’t expect a 2015 Derrick Henry workload of 395 carries. Damien Harris, who led the Crimson Tide in rushes in 2018, averaged only 10 carries a game. Expect more than that for Najee Harris in 2019, but it’s probably a stretch to think he’ll average 20 rushes a game.

Robinson has been overshadowed during his first two seasons in the program, but the coaching staff is high on his ability. He’ll finally get a chance to show what he can do as he splits carries with Harris. Robinson has mainly been regulated to special teams duties, but that will change. With 87 career carries, he’s rushed for 437 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 5 yards per rush.

Jerome Ford played in four games in 2018, so his redshirt stayed intact. Trey Sanders is a five-star running back who will join the Crimson Tide for his freshman season.

Wide receiver

Starters: Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, DeVonta Smith
Backups: Jaylen Waddle, Tyrell Shavers

Overview: These guys need no introduction. They were widely considered among the best units in college football in 2018, and all return. The starters, who were all sophomores, combined for 156 receptions for 2,749 yards and 31 touchdowns. Jeudy alone accounted for 68 catches for 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns and won the Biletnikoff Award. He averaged 19.3 yards per reception and 87.7 yards per game.

Ruggs packed a big punch with several tough catches in traffic while also showing the willingness to take a hit and hang onto the ball. He was second on the team with 46 catches, and the reputation he earned his freshman season for catching touchdowns transferred to his sophomore season, as he scored 11 times. Smith played a bit dinged up for part of the season but still put up 42 catches for 693 yards and six touchdowns.

Waddle was arguably the most valuable backup in college football as a true freshman. He was second on the team in receiving yards (848) and showed his explosiveness with a 94-yard touchdown and an average of 18.8 yards per reception.

They form what is the best wide receiving unit in the SEC and arguably in the country, and they show no signs of backing down in 2019. With Tagovailoa in his second season as a starter, they could only be getting started.

All of Alabama’s top wide receivers will be back, including Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Smith. (Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports)

Tight end

Starter: Miller Forristall
Backups: Major Tennison, Kedrick James

Overview: It’s a position in transition next season. Irv Smith Jr. had a big season with 44 receptions for 710 yards and seven touchdowns — so big that he declared for the NFL Draft. The problem is that his and Hale Hentges’ departures leave Alabama vulnerable at the position.

Forristall has caught just six passes in three years in Tuscaloosa. Part of that is due to a knee injury that sidelined him for essentially an entire season in 2017. He has the size at 6 feet 5, 240 pounds, but he’ll need to improve his blocking to make a real impact for the Crimson Tide.

Tennison played in four games in his sophomore season but didn’t record a statistic, and James played in five games but didn’t record a stat. James was suspended for the final two games of the season and could miss up to four games to start the 2019 season.

It’s a safe assumption that no tight end on the roster has the ability to put up the type of season Smith did. The Crimson Tide have one tight end currently committed in the Class of 2019 in Jahleel Billingsley, a 6-4, 216-pound four-star recruit from Illinois.

Left tackle

Starter: Alex Leatherwood
Backup: Scott Lashley, Evan Neal

Overview: Replacing the best offensive tackle in the country? That’s all Alabama must do with Jonah Williams gone. Williams, an Outland Trophy finalist, was a three-year starter on the offensive line — one season at right tackle, two at left — and won’t be easy to replace.

That job likely will fall to Leatherwood. You’ll recall that it was Leatherwood who once was called upon to fill in for Williams, and he did so brilliantly. When Williams went down with a knee injury in the third quarter of the national championship game against Georgia, Leatherwood came on and played well as the Crimson Tide rallied to win in overtime. Now it appears that it’s Leatherwood’s job to lose. Leatherwood, who started at right guard this past season, is better suited to play tackle than guard. He looks more comfortable there, too. He has the size at 6-6, 304 pounds, and his footwork is good enough to play on the edge.

Lashley has been a reserve lineman in the program for three years, and he played in eight games. Neal is a five-star recruit and one of the top tackles in the 2019 recruiting class.

Left guard

Starter: Deonte Brown
Backup: Emil Ekiyor

Overview: Brown showed his potential once he took the starting job at left guard from Lester Cotton about midway through the season. A turf toe injury sidelined him for a bit and limited his play, but when he was healthy, it was clear what type of road grader he was. But the season ended poorly for the guy they call “Cornbread” when he was suspended for the final two games of the season. He likely will miss the first four games of the season in 2019, as well. He waited his turn to get on the field as he battled controlling his weight. He managed his weight well enough to get onto the field beginning in the Tennessee game and showed surprising athleticism for a man his size. He’s powerful once he gets his hands on defenders.

The backup job on the interior is still up for grabs, but Ekiyor is so well thought of by the coaching staff that he likely will start at one of three positions but could be the backup to the other two, as well.

Center

Starter: Chris Owens
Backup: Emil Ekiyor

Overview: A 6-3, 310-pounder from Texas, Owens served as the backup to Ross Pierschbacher. Owens is a versatile lineman, as he showed when he came in at left tackle when Jonah Williams left the game against Texas A&M. Owens played in 12 games in a backup role. Now he’s slated to be the starting center. Ekiyor also could compete for the starting position. Owens and Ekiyor are safe bets at the moment to start at two of the interior offensive line spots. With Brown’s suspension to start the 2019 season, Alabama will open against Duke with four new starters on the offensive line. Of course, there could be freshmen that work themselves into the competition, but those who have done so in the past have traditionally done so at tackle. For whatever reason, a freshman hasn’t played a major role on the interior of the offensive line.

Right guard

Starter: Emil Ekiyor
Backup: Chris Owens

Overview: Leatherwood is back for his junior season, but it’s only natural to think that he will move to left tackle with the departure of Williams. If Leatherwood stays at right guard, which seems unlikely, it’s good news for the right side of the offensive line. which would remain intact for a second consecutive season. It’s been a while since that side had returning starters working alongside each other. However, it’s more likely that Ekiyor or Owens or maybe even a freshman or other reserve lineman will compete for the spot.

Right tackle

Starter: Jedrick Wills
Backup: Matt Womack

Overview: Wills has talent galore. He’ll go into his junior season ready to start at right tackle for the second consecutive season. He’s the nastiest lineman the Crimson Tide have. Don’t believe me? Watch this clip:

Jedrick Wills with the hip toss. Guy has a ton of power. pic.twitter.com/yZWsneYRLB

— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) January 10, 2019

If he gets you off balance, he will bury you in the turf. He’s a heck of a lot of fun to watch if you enjoy the individual battles on the line of scrimmage. He led the team with 48 knockdown blocks and allowed just one sack all season.

Womack started at right tackle in 2017 but missed the first four games of 2018 with a foot injury. During that time, Wills entrenched himself at the position, leaving Womack to serve as a valuable reserve. That’s likely where Womack will open the 2019 season. As a fifth-year senior, Womack has plenty of knowledge, and he could serve as backup at other positions, too.

(Top photo by Mark Brown / Getty Images)

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