Top 5 Newcomers to Know for Alabama's 2020 Season
Only time will tell on this, but Alabama's biggest addition to the program during the offseason may have not been a player.
In March, just before the shutdown, Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced the hiring of David Ballou as the Crimson Tide’s Director of Sports Performance and Dr. Matt Rhea as the Director of Performance Science.
Ballou has taken over the weight room, while Rhea has a new home in the recently finished sports science center. Together they plan to take the Crimson Tide in a totally different direction.
“There was no question that from a sports science standpoint and from a conditioning standpoint they were light-years in advance of what a lot of people have done in their programs for a long, long time, which we’ve done the same thing for a long, long time, too,” Saban said about their interview.
“The players love them. They’ve done a phenomenal job in transition, and I think, long-term, this is going to be a real asset for us.”
For years injuries have hampered Alabama’s efforts to win the national championship. Even if you go back to its last title, won during the 2017 season, the Crimson Tide was beset by numerous setbacks, especially at linebacker.
"They're very open about their philosophy, involving science and things like that," redshirt junior quarterback Mac Jones said on a Zoom call with reporters on Friday. "But everything they do in the weight room translates to the field. Every single lift we do, there's a reason we're doing it. And they make it very clear to why we're doing that lift. And I feel like that just boosts morale, and we don't feel like we're just going through the motions. We're getting better every day. There's science to prove it.
"They've done a great job leading us. We love those guys already. So I think everybody on the team would say, they feel much better about, um, how the strength and conditioning has evolved."
Here are five other newcomers to know about this fall:
1] Bryce Young, quarterback
We'll get the obvious "one" out of the way.
Young was rated as the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation by 247Sports, and second in the composite rankings. He was evaluated as being the top-ranked dual-threat passer nationally by ESPN and Rivals.com as well.
He was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, where he earned Offensive MVP honors and was named the All-American Bowl Player of the Year. Young was also selected the 2019 High School Quarterback of the Year by the National Quarterback Club, the Maxwell Offensive Player of the Year while sharing the MaxPreps Player of the Year, and named to Sports Illustrated inaugural high school All-American team.
Yeah, he tops the list, even if he doesn't start this season.
2] The Edge Rushers
Alabama added some fierce pass-rushers in the latest recruiting class including five-star prospects Chris Braswell and Drew Sanders, plus Quandarrius Robinson, who was rated as being a unanimous top-100 talent.
All might get on the field this season and make an impact. However, Will Anderson is the guy to watch coming out of the chute.
At 6-4, 230, he could be a prime candidate to slide into the Jack spot (Saban's hybrid linebacker/end position), and he's said to play bigger than his size. Overall, Anderson was No. 17 on the 247Composite, and listed 49th on the ESPN300.
3] Ronald Williams Jr., defensive back
Saban has long said that when Alabama brings in a junior-college player it's to fit a specific need and he'll be expected to immediately challenge for playing time.
If Williams can step in at cornerback, Alabama could move someone else to be the slot defender in the nickel package, like Minkah Fitzpatrick recently did for the Crimson Tide. Moreover, Saban loves having some versatility in the secondary.
At 6-foot-2, 188 pounds, he brings a little extra height and reach to match up against tall receivers. Last season he was an NJCAA All-American at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, where in 10 games last season had 31 tackles with three interceptions and five pass breakups.
4] Javon Baker, wide receiver
It was tempting to put running back Roydell Williams into this spot, as there's already talk that he's off to a great start, but Baker looks like he could challenge to be in the wide receiver rotation from the get-go.
Alabama doesn't have the most depth at wideout and Baker's speed can only help him quickly get on the field. He was a consensus four-star prospect, with Rivals ranking him the highest at No. 109 on the Rivals250.
5] Carl Tucker, tight end
Alabama doesn't get too many graduate transfers, especially since there usually isn't much roster space, but Tucker could fill an immediate need for the Crimson Tide.
He played in 38 career games for North Carolina, notching 549 yards and four touchdowns on 36 career receptions.
With Miller Forristall returning and Jahleel Billingsley looking like he could be poised to take a big step forward, it was interesting that Alabama's nomination for the preseason watch list for the Mackey Award (top tight end in college football) was Tucker.
This is the fourth story in a five-part series of things to look for during Alabama's 2020 fall camp.
5 Things To Keep An Eye On During Alabama's 2020 Fall Camp
Alabama's 5 Biggest Position Battles Heading into 2020 Fall Camp
