Alabama football 2017: Projected Crimson Tide depth chart
By John Buhler
The Alabama Crimson Tide lost the national championship literally in the final second. Here is what the top of their depth chart could look like for 2017.
As a surprise to absolutely no one, the Alabama Crimson Tide project to be the best team in the SEC during the upcoming college football season. When a football team recruits as well as Alabama does, it’s easy to see why head coach Nick Saban will have a team capable of winning the SEC, making the College Football Playoff and competing for a national title.
While Alabama has won the SEC three straight years and made the College Football Playoff in each of them, Alabama has only one national title to show for it. The Crimson Tide lost in the national semifinals to the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2014. Though Alabama defeated the Clemson Tigers in the 2015 National Championship, the Crimson Tide lost to Clemson in the 2016 title bout down in Tampa.
Naturally, expectations are high for Saban’s football team. The SEC is in a down cycle for the conference, with maybe a team or two that can honestly challenge the Crimson Tide for the SEC Championship in Atlanta. The in-state rival Auburn Tigers are probably the toughest matchup in the SEC West. Possibly meeting Alabama in the SEC Championship Game might be whoever wins in Jacksonville near Halloween between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs. Either way, Alabama is the clear favorite to win the SEC for the fourth year in a row.
Of course, Alabama will drop a game this fall, maybe two. The Crimson Tide do have a brutal schedule, drawing the Florida State Seminoles Week 1 out of conference and an eight-game SEC schedule.
While Alabama lost several great players to the 2017 NFL Draft, no program in the Power 5 does a better job of reloading with top-tier talent than Alabama. Let’s take a look and see what the top of the depth chart in all three phases of the game looks like for the Crimson Tide.