Unsung Alabama football heroes who need to step up to lead Tide to a national title

Considering that Tua Tagovailoa’s first legitimate moment on the field for Alabama football saw the quarterback guide a comeback to win a National Championship, fans in Tuscaloosa expected there were more titles to come. But after two more years and with Tua now a member of the Miami Dolphins, Nick Saban’s program doesn’t have another title.

In fact, Alabama missed the College Football Playoff entirely a season ago as Tagovailoa dealt with injuries, including a season-ending dislocated hip. Now it’s a new era for the Crimson Tide, though, one where we could see a return to form for a Saban-coached team, namely winning with defense and a stout running game.

Talent is never in short supply with the Crimson Tide and the stars on the 2020 roster, such as Najee Harris, DeVonta Smith and Patrick Surtain II, among others, are obvious. But if Alabama football is going to get back to the CFP and win another title for the trophy case, they’ll need some unsung heroes to step up — these four players in particular.

4. Mac Jones, QB

Thrust into action last season with the injury to Tagovailoa, Mac Jones stepped in and performed quite admirably, especially in the pass-heavy offense adopted under Tua. Completing 97 of his 147 attempts on the year (68.8 percent), Jones threw for 1,503 yards, 14 touchdowns and three scores. But stepping in as relief and entering the season as a leader on the offense are two different things.

I’ve said all offseason that we should expect a more conservative approach from Alabama football on offense with Jones at the helm. That allows Saban’s defense to control games more easily and, of course, for Harris to lead the offense.

But when this Crimson Tide team has weapons such as Smith, Jaylen Waddle and John Metchie at wide receiver, those pieces have to be utilized. Subsequently, Jones needs to operate at the same level he did when he was forced to take over for Tagovailoa last season over the entirety of the 2020 season.

3. Christian Barmore, DL

There are certainly more familiar names on the Alabama defensive line than Christian Barmore, a redshirt sophomore who played in a rotational role in the 2019 season. However, as the Crimson Tide look for playmakers to step up in the front seven this season, especially with the departures of Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis, there’s no better place to look than Barmore, who could be a breakout star.

Even with limited work a year ago, Barmore stepped up with 2.0 sacks, 6.0 tackles for loss and 26 total tackles on the year. He’s an explosive and powerful penetrator on the line who can not just clog holes but get up the field and into the quarterback’s face. If the Tide’s defense is going to be the top of the elite this season, then Barmore is going to need to play like a star on this line.

2. Trey Sanders, RB

Make no mistake, Alabama football has options in their rushing attack for the 2020 season, including one of the best in the country with Najee Harris. Moreover, veteran Brian Robinson Jr., who had 96 carries for 441 yards and five touchdowns last year, is in the fold. But the Crimson Tide offense is going to rely on the running game more, as mentioned, and they have often thrived when they have a multitude of options to work with. That’s where Trey Sanders comes into play.

Sanders came to Tuscaloosa as a decorated recruit, the No. 1 running back and the No. 6 overall recruit in the 247Sports Composite rankings. However, a preseason injury kept him off the field in 2019. Now healthy, though, the explosive 6-foot, 214-pounder could make some big waves.

For as solid as Robinson has been for the Tide, he does lack a second gear that a player like Harris or Sanders has. Subsequently, if Saban indeed wants to control games on the ground, then incorporating more touches for Sanders with his ability appears to be an easy and highly effective way of accomplishing that.

1. Josh Jobe, CB

Josh Jobe came into last season with the label of a possible breakout candidate given the flashes of talent in 2018 when he saw the field. Unfortunately, that never materialized. He saw early looks as a starter but, due to issues with a lack of discipline on the field — both in terms of behavior and his play — he was knocked down to more of a rotational role. That likely won’t be the case in the 2020 season.

There’s no question that Surtain II is the CB1 of the Alabama defense but, for this unit to be at its best, they need to be able to lock down entire units, not just opposing team’s No.1 wide receivers. Jobe, based on his physical skill set, is capable of being a perfect complement to Surtain on the opposite side of the secondary. It’s all about him putting the mental pieces into place and executing on his natural gifts as a defensive back.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.