jermaine burton

Two of college football's five or so most iconic brands will do battle on New Year's Day 2024 in the sport's most iconic venue, Michigan and Alabama in the Rose Bowl Game. The Wolverines seeking to win their first national championship in a quarter century, Alabama looking to add to the greatest dynasty of all time. No shortage of narratives to discuss in the run up to this year's CFP game and it's my job to introduce the Alabama offense, a unit with a new QB this season and a high degree of variability. 

The Film: Running with the SEC Championship Game since Alabama played Georgia, in my view the best opponent they played all season. Also it happens to be the most recent game... convenient! I'm also going to use some of the Texas tape, since that was Alabama's other game against a truly elite team, and the contrast from early September to early December can give us a few clues into how much this Alabama team has grown. There may be some clips from other games as well but the main charting is from the Georgia game in Atlanta. 

Personnel: Click for big. 

Alabama's new QB for the 2023 season eventually turned out to be Jalen Milroe, following an exceptionally messy QB competition that saw Alabama start Tyler Buchner against USF and their offense crumbled. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees' familiarity with Buchner probably played a role in why the QB competition went on as long as it did, and I imagine Milroe's unpredictability and occasional ugly decisions scared the staff some. However, make no mistake, this competition should never have lasted that long. Milroe has his downsides, which we will discuss, but he's a vastly better QB than Buchner and a player with immense talents, tremendous athleticism, and a great arm. He's a dual threat passer and has taken 'Bama to heights they could never have reached with Buchner. 

The Crimson Tide lost 2022 star Jahmyr Gibbs to the Detroit Lions of the NFL in the offseason, but returned the #2-4 backs from last season, Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams, and Jamarion Miller. McClellan is their leading rusher in yards and attempts, though he missed the Georgia game I charted with a foot injury (status for New Year's Day is unclear). Williams got the start and looked just fine in his place. I don't think these RBs are monsters on the level of a Derrick Henry, Mark Ingram, Najee Harris, etc. but they are all good players. Not incredible, not getting the star, but nothing wrong with any of them either.  

The WRs are a number of the same players from last year, with 2022's leading WR Jermaine Burton (a one-time Georgia transfer who played Michigan in the 2021 CFP) returning for this season and has blossomed into a star. Watching Bond's 9 catch, 197 yard, 2 TD toasting of Texas A&M back in early October was the moment I knew he had arrived and got the mental star in my mind. Isaiah Bond has seen his production uptick significantly over last year, leaping well in front of Kobe Prentice on the depth chart. Bond caught the answered prayer against Auburn and leads the team in catches (Burton leads in yards), a tick below star status for me but quite dangerous. Both Burton and Bond are around 6', while Prentice is the 5'10" slot, only 17 catches compared to 31 last season. I don't have too many notes on him. Malik Benson has 13 catches as a rotational outside receiver, actually appearing more than Prentice, while Kendrick Law is a slot receiver who lines up in the backfield a decent amount and is used quite a bit as a blocker or to run shallow crossing routes. 

Alabama has used 12 and 13 personnel quite a bit this season, with three TEs who all have more snaps on offense than their third-most used WR (Benson). Those TEs are Maryland transfer CJ Dippre, blocker Robbie Ouzts, and flex receiver Amari Niblack. Dippre is the most balanced tight end of the three in terms of responsibility, some receiving and some blocking, but his PFF grades have been lackluster and he only has 9 catches on the year. Ouzts is a pure blocking tight end, heavily utilized on rushing plays and acts as a fullback on some of Alabama's inside zone concepts, with only three catches on the season. Niblack is the opposite of Ouzts, a flex TE who rarely blocks but does damage as a receiver. The 6'4" sophomore Niblack has 19 catches for 321 yards and 4 TDs on the season, second on the team in all three categories.  

The 'Bama offensive line got quite a bit of heat early in the season for being well below the program standard and while I think they are still a bit down for the typical Alabama OL (which normally is laced with NFL-ready studs), it isn't bad. The strength of the OL is on the right side in your author's view, RT JC Latham being a projected first round pick by most scouting services in this upcoming NFL Draft. Next to him is RG Jaedan Roberts, who gets the star for a strong showing against Georgia. The other half of the line isn't quite as sharp, with its biggest weakness at C, where Seth McLaughlin has had issues blocking and snapping this season, earning him a cyan circle. The left side of the line is notable for its youth and inexperience, LG Tyler Booker being a true sophomore and LT Kadyn Proctor a true freshman(!!). Proctor has had the wobbles you'd expect and I think is a vulnerability for Michigan to target, but hasn't been bad enough to be cyan'd. Booker has been pretty good and was close to star status. As a line they are better run blocking than pass blocking. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: The Jalen Milroe Experience]