Alabama vs. FSU: 5 x-factors for the Crimson Tide to beat the Seminoles
By John Buhler
3. Who is the new on-field leader of the front-seven?
While Alabama does a better job of reloading than any Power 5 team in the country. When you recruit as well as the Crimson Tide do and practice as hard as program supposedly does, it’s no surprise that Alabama can sustain the excellence it has built under Coach Saban.
Alabama does have a budding star in its secondary in defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. He emerged as an on-field leader as a true sophomore last year. Look for him to do big things this fall in what will be likely his last as a collegiate. The NFL is calling and it needs a playmaking ballhawk like in the first round.
That being said, Alabama lost two huge leaders from last year’s defense. While defensive end Jonathan Allen and inside linebacker Reuben Foster could have gone pro after their junior seasons in 2016, they elected to stay in Tuscaloosa for a shot at a repeat. That dream ultimately came up short, but both went in the first-round in the 2017 NFL Draft.
The two likeliest candidates to replace Allen and Foster’s on-field leadership are Da’Ron Payne and Shaun Dion Hamilton, respectively. Payne may not be as talented as his defensive line teammate Da’Shawn Hand, but he didn’t have a DUI this summer. If Hamilton can be as good as Reggie Ragland was before Foster, Alabama should be stout against Florida State on Saturday.