Hello and Roll Tide!

Below is today’s newsletter:

BREAKING NEWS: Elite 5 Star 2025 Running Back Akylin Dear has committed to the Crimson Tide on August 20th. The Tide currently sit with the No. 2 class in the country.

Quick injury notes:

-Jaeden Roberts did not dress at practice as he is recovering from hand surgery. He is expected to start in the opener vs Western Kentucky. Geno VanDeMark was seen at first-team Right Guard
-Jam Miller is practicing in a black, non-contact jersey
Freshman WR Rico Scott did not dress for practice

Depth Notes:

-Wilkin Formby has been taking reps with the first-team at Right Tackle
-Zabien Brown has been working with first-team Cornerback

We are just under two weeks from Alabama’s opening matchup with Western Kentucky. As I narrow down the Depth Chart, let’s meet the men expected to make an impact on the Defensive side of the ball:

Bandit – Defensive End

Jah-Marien Latham (#20): This former 4 Star in the class of 2020 stuck it out and will finally get a starting position in his Redshirt Senior season at Alabama. Latham only has 1.5 sacks in his career, however that was him playing inside at DT and NT. Latham’s height and frame makes him a prototypical Bandit in Kane Wommack’s 4-2-5 defense.

LT Overton (#22): Overton transferred to Alabama in December, before Nick Saban announced his retirement. DeBoer and Wommack were able to convince Overton that he was a priority player on this defense, and likely that he would be able to fill the Bandit role rather easily. LT was a 5 star prospect in the 2022 class but did not find his footing at Texas A&M. Overton added 18 pounds in the offseason increasing his weight to 283lbs. His 6’5 build will surely help contain the edge and help in run support.

Keon Keeley (#31): After de-committing from Notre Dame in August of 2022, Keeley became a priority target for the Crimson Tide. The No.3 Nationally ranked player (#1 EDGE) decided to take his talents to Tuscaloosa for his freshman year. Many speculated if he would transfer after Nick Saban’s retirement, but DeBoer and staff were able to keep the incredible talent with the Tide. Originally recruited as an edge rusher, Keeley put on 35lbs this offseason and moved over to Freddie Roach’s defensive line group. Now at 6-5 277lbs, Keon is the perfect size to fit into Kane Wommack’s Bandit role. He did not record any stats in his Freshman year, but it is hard to imagine that he does not make an impact in the Tide’s 2024 defense.

Nose Tackle

Tim Keenan (#96): In his sophomore season, Keenan hit the field a bunch racking up 36 total tackles. He was second in tackles for his position group behind NFL draft pick Justin Eboigbe. Expect this familiar face to push the pocket and stop the run all season long. Damon Payne Jr. (#44): Payne was a 5 star recruit in the class of 2021 from the state of Michigan. Damon redshirted his freshman season and began to see the field in small doses in 2022. Payne has yet to see a starters workload at the NT position, but we may see him get a lot more reps in 2024.

James Smith (#23): James was a huge commitment in the class of 2023 out of Carver high school in Montgomery, AL. He and teammate Qua Russaw committed on the same day, landing Alabama two in-state 5 Star defensive players in December of 2022. James did see some reps in 2023, yet the massive recruit did not see many big SEC minutes in his Freshman year. Reporters at camp have noted that James is seeing time with the first-team leading up to the opener. While he will be down the depth chart, expect James to get meaningful minutes this season. If an injury is to occur, he is likely to step into a starting role.

Defensive Tackle

Jeheim Oatis (#10): Oatis broke onto the scene in his Freshman season (2022) as a surprise starter. At 395lbs, Oatis impressed the coaching staff and immediately made an impact in the middle of the Defensive Line. Oatis recorded 27 tackles and a sack in his freshman season. To some surprise, Oatis dropped almost 80 lbs in the offseason going into his sophomore year. This led analysts to expect increased production from the Defensive lineman in his sophomore campaign, yet injury did not allow him to be as productive as he was as a freshman. With the drop in weight, we did not see a big increase in explosiveness off of the line. Hopefully a year at this new weight will lead to him being more comfortable at the position, and we will once again see the flashes of an All-American that he showed as a freshman.

Tim Smith (#50): As the longest tenured Defensive Tackle on the roster, we should expect to see a lot of snaps out of Smith in his 5th year at the Capstone. He has been in the first-team rotation since his freshman year and while he has been productive, we have yet to see that 5 star potential. This could be the year that he puts it all together and gets NFL scouts to look his direction

Wolf – Edge Rusher

Quandarrius Robinson (#34): Que is the most experienced edge rusher still on the Alabama roster. To start his career, he found himself behind NFL draft picks such as Will Anderson, Dallas Turner, and Chris Braswell. It was not until the 2023 season that Que began to see meaningful minutes backing up Turner and Braswell. With these highly talented edge rushers moving to the NFL, Que will finally assume the starting role in his 5th season with the Tide. Que has been a productive player on Special Teams and was present in multiple blitz packages last year where he recorded 1.5 sacks. This season we hope he can step up as the leader of the Outside Linebacker unit.

Keanu Koht (#19): Koht was a part of the historic 2021 class and came in competing with Dallas Turner. Koht has been buried in the depth chart in his first 3 seasons, but is a veteran in the young linebacker core. He decided to stay and carve a path into the starting ranks rather than transfer out for playing time. We should expect #19 to line-up outside on various blitz packages.

Qua Russaw (#4): Qua Russaw committed with friend/teammate James Smith in December of 2022 as a coveted Edge rusher. The in-state talent joined a crowded outside linebacker room and was unable to get much playing time in 2023. His speed off of the edge will give the coaching staff many options in blitz packages. He did not record any stats in his freshman season, but should be a guy to look out for in the edge group..

Yhonzae Pierre (#42): Also a 5 star edge recruit in the class of 2023, Pierre did not get a lot of time on the field. He did not record any stats, but should be expected to line-up in blitz packages. Pierre rose dramatically up recruiting charts in his Senior year in high school, becoming a late addition to the rank of 5 star. Pierre will compete with Russaw to carve out that 3rd Edge rusher in the rotation.

Mike Linebacker

Deontae Lawson (#0): Alabama’s Monster-in-the-Middle returns for his Redshirt Junior season. Lawson was voted a captain of the Defense by his peers and looks to build off of a great 2023 campaign. The middle linebacker was second on the team with 67 tackles and 4th in sacks. Lawson is a sign of consistency to his peers and is a much needed returning starter. Another season like 2023 will likely get Deontae a job on Sundays for many years to come.

Sting - Weakside Linebacker

Jihadd Campbell (#11): Jihadd had a breakout 2023 season as he backed up Deontae Lawson and Trezmen Marshall. Both had injury stints during the year and Campbell stepped doing a great job. The sophomore totaled 66 tackles on the season and is set to be a full-time starter along side Deontae Lawson in his Junior campaign. Jihaad was the top signee in the Tide’s 2022 class and was the top EDGE recruit in the nation. The outside linebacker room was full of NFL talent when he arrived, so he quickly joined the inside linebacking room. The combination of Campbell and Lawson will be one of the best linebacker pairings in the entire nation.

Justin Jefferson (#15): Jefferson began his college career at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi. After his sophomore season, Jefferson had national attention and entered the recruiting ranks as a 4 start JUCO transfer. Justin arrived last fall to Tuscaloosa and fit into the middle linebacker room. Jefferson was unable to jump into the starting rotation but did make an impact on Special Teams. While he will not start at the Mike or Sting position, he is next man up if either Campbell or Lawson miss any time. As well, his top speed may find him in packages where Wommack would like to blitz up the middle.

Corner Back

Domani Jackson (#1): Jackson was the No. 2 Cornerback in the class of 2022 (behind Travis Hunter) and took his talents to Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans. The talented back from San Diego, California did not live up to his 5 star potential in a dysfunctional defense under Riley. Jackson visited a Tide Rose Bowl practice in December and committed to Saban in late December. The transition of coaches did not change Jackson’s mind that Alabama is where he wanted to be. Domani is the only experienced corner on Alabama’s roster and is the only guaranteed starter at the position. We should follow his progress as he learns Wommack’s 4-2-5 defense.

DaShawn Jones (#7): DaShawn is a Senior transfer from Wake Forest. He started the last 2 seasons for the Demon Deacons and led the team in interceptions in 2023. This transfer can make an impact right away for the Crimson Tide as they look to replace NFL draft picks Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold. DaShawn was a late addition to the team, taking advantage of the Spring Transfer Portal. He is the most experienced corner on the team, although he will be learning a new defense.

Zabien Brown (#2): A top 3 corner in the 2024 class out of Mater Dei High School, Zabien can make an immediate impact on the Tide’s Secondary. Zabien worked with the first-team in the Spring and Fall and will likely continue to fight to be a starter along fellow Mater Dei alumni, Domani Jackson. He started Alabama’s A-Day across from Jackson. Brown received recognition from the AP as a pre-season Freshman All-American. People in the press are comparing him to Minka Fitzpatrick in the way that he could make a big time impact in his freshman season.

Jaylen Mbakwe (#9): Mbakwe was the Tide’s first 5 star commit in the 2024 cycle. He visited Tuscaloosa often to help recruit, and likely played a big part in the Tide retaining 5 star wide receiver Ryan Williams. Mbakwe is talented on both sides of the ball but will start with the defensive backs and Special teams. He is someone to keep an eye on as the battle for starting Cornerback continues.

Rover – Strong Safety

Keon Sabb (#3): Sabb was a key contributor for the Michigan Wolverines during their championship season last year. Sabb had 2 interceptions, 1 touchdown, and 4 pass deflections in a very productive season. After Jim Harbaugh left Michigan for the NFL, Sabb looked to the Crimson Tide to continue his collegiate career. Sabb joins a young secondary and is expected to take on a starting role right away.

King Mack (#5): Mack was a top-100 prospect in the class of 2023 where he committed to the Penn State Nittany Lions. He did play in a limited role during his freshman year, gathering 3 tackles. He was a talented prospect out of High School, so we should keep an eye on Mack while he competes with Sabb for the Rover position.

Free Safety

Malachi Moore (#13): Malachi decided to come back to the Crimson Tide for his 5th season, rather than enter the NFL draft. Malachi has been a productive player all 4 years at Alabama and was recently voted Team Captain. While we are accustomed to his productivity, Moore will be assuming a new position under Wommack’s defense. In the past, Moore played the Star position (5th DB). While he was valuable there, team needs have forced Moore to slide over to the Free Safety position. Here he will be the last line of defense on run plays and be responsible for the deep ball. This is a very important position and the Tide have decided to leave it with their most experienced returning defender.

Husky – 5th Defensive back

Devonta Smith (#8): Devonta was expected to have a breakout Junior campaign in 2023 before suffering an injury that sidelined him most of the year. Saban often talked highly of Devonta’s progression in the offseason but we were unable to see it last year. This season, the Tide need Devonta to be the star that we hoped he would be as he leads a young secondary into 2024. Though he lacks on-field experience, he has been with the program longer than any DB other than Moore. He is familiar with the expectations of Alabama and will be needed if this team is to have a successful season.

Red Morgan (#16): This true freshman has been a pleasant surprise in the Spring and Fall. Rated a low-end 4 star, Morgan was not expected to see the field in 2024. He has been getting some first-team reps and played a significant amount during the A-Day game. His ability to blitz from the slot will likely help him see action in 2024.

Next week I will highlight storylines for the home opener and preview the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or comments.

Roll Tide!