Alabama football: Top 5 players returning to lead the offense in 2022

Alabama football has the reigning Heisman winner but the offense in 2022 should look quite a bit different than it did with new playmakers due to emerge.

College football beware. Alabama lost the national championship, which means Nick Saban’s team is likely to come back with a vengeance.

It’ll take some reloading to get back to the College Football Playoff, however. Multiple key starters are moving on to the NFL.

So who can the Crimson Tide count on to drive the offense forward in 2022?

Alabama football’s top 5 returning players on offense

5. Ja’Corey Brooks, receiver

Jameson Williams, John Metchie III and Slade Bolden are all heading for the NFL, leaving Alabama without most of their top pass catchers from last year. The cupboard isn’t bare though. Ja’Corey Brooks is one of a few young wide-outs who should step up and become stars themselves.

As a freshman, Brooks came on late, catching 15 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns in the final six games of the season. Ten of those were in the playoff where he had 113 yards. He also gave Crimson Tide fans a preview of what he can do by catching a game-tying touchdown to force overtime against Auburn.

4. Jermaine Burton, receiver

Okay, technically Jermaine Burton isn’t returning but he’s still a figure who will have a huge impact on Alabama’s 2022 offense. The former Georgia wide receiver decided to transfer to the Crimson Tide after catching 26 passes for 497 yards and five touchdowns. He was the Bulldog’s second-leading receiver. Why leave? Because catching passes from Bryce Young is likely to be a lot more fruitful than moving forward in a UGA offense headed by Stetson Bennett.