Trending with the Tide: The Ups and Downs From Alabama's National Championship Loss to Georgia
Welcome back to Trending with the Tide where we give a stock report of Alabama athletics. Today, we’ll take a look at the Crimson Tide football team following its loss to Georgia in Monday night’s national championship game.
Stock rising
Christian Harris
Harris will have a serious NFL draft decision to make after Monday night’s performance against Georgia. The starting Will linebacker has had an up-and-down junior year but certainly ended it on the right note, recording six tackles, including three for a loss, with two sacks while also forcing a fumble against the Bulldogs.
Monday night was easily Harris’ biggest game of the season and arguably the best he’s looked since joining the Crimson Tide in 2019. It also came after a solid showing against Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl where he recorded 0.5 sacks as part of four stops while also tallying a quarterback hurry.
Buy or sell: Harris hasn’t been consistent this season, but he still provided plenty of production during his third year as a starter. Through 15 games, he finished with 79 stops, including 12.5 tackles for a loss with 5.5 sacks. He also contributed four quarterback hurries and three pass breakups to go with a pair of fumble recoveries.
While Harris hasn’t been projected as a first-round pick in many mock drafts, his performance during the postseason might have moved him into the second round. The 6-foot-2, 232-pound linebacker has plenty of athleticism at the position and has started 40 games over his college career. (BUY)
Dallas Turner
There isn’t a hotter player on Alabama’s defense. Turner finished a stellar freshman campaign with four tackles and a pair of sacks against Georgia on Monday night. The five-star edge rusher recorded all 8.5 of his sacks over his last seven games and has already established himself as one of the biggest weapons on the Tide’s defense.
Through 15 games, Turner has 30 tackles, 10 stops for a loss, 8.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries. He was able to provide that production despite taking part in just 53 defensive snaps over his first five games.
Buy or sell: If you haven’t already bought in on Turner, I don’t know what you are waiting for. His late-season surge mirrors that of Will Anderson’s during the 2020 season. If Turner can expand on his success next season in a similar fashion to how Anderson did so this past year, Alabama will easily have the top pass-rushing tandem in the nation. (BUY)
Slade Bolden
Bolden has been doubted by Alabama fans all season, but he came up big during Monday night’s national championship game, tallying 44 yards on a career-high seven receptions. Alabama needed the redshirt junior to step up as it was already without one starting receiver in John Metchie III (ACL) before losing another in Jameson Williams in the second quarter. Bolden wasn’t electric but helped the Tide move the ball, reeling in seven of his nine targets without recording a drop.
Buy or sell: Despite Bolden’s solid performance, I still don’t see him becoming a big factor in Alabama’s offense moving forward. The 5-foot-11, 194-pound redshirt junior is set to return to the Tide next season and should still be a useful option out of the slot. However, I’d expect more explosive players such as JoJo Earle or incoming freshman Aaron Anderson to overtake him as a starter. (SELL)
Stock falling
Seth McLaughlin
Seth McLaughlin was riding high after taking over the starting center role during this postseason. The sophomore shined in Alabama’s SEC Championship Game victory over Georgia and was equally solid during the Tide’s Cotton Bowl victory over Cincinnati. However, he surrendered a team-high seven quarterback pressures while earning a 37.0 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus during Monday night’s national championship game.
Buy or sell: It will be interesting to see where Alabama goes from here at the center position. Darrian Dalcourt didn’t always look convincing before losing his spot to McLaughlin following an ankle injury. Alabama could also elect to reshuffle its offensive line next season by moving starting right guard Emil Ekiyor to center.
McLaughlin is certainly an option at the role moving forward as well. However, the 6-foot-4, 295-pounder is a bit undersized, and Alabama has a lot of talent to go around in the unit. (SELL)
Khyree Jackson
Jackson was on the “stock rising” list last week after recording three tackles and a pass breakup while not allowing a reception as he filled in injured Jalyn Armour-Davis at cornerback during the Cotton Bowl. However, the JUCO transfer failed to carry over that production into his first career start during Monday night’s national championship game.
Jackson recorded two stops and a pass breakup against the Bulldogs but gave up two receptions for 50 yards including a 40-yard touchdown from Stetson Bennett to Adonai Mitchell to give Georgia the lead in the fourth quarter. Three plays before giving up the touchdown, Jackson was also flagged for pass interference as he was beaten deep by Georgia receiver Jermaine Burton.
Buy or sell: It’s hard to write off Jackson based on an unfortunate fourth quarter. Barring his two big blunders, the JUCO transfer did pretty well for a first start, allowing just two receptions on five targets. His stock moving forward will depend greatly on Jalyn Armour-Davis’ draft decision. If Armour-Davis elects to return for his redshirt senior season, he figures to join Kool-Aid McKinstry and incoming LSU transfer Eli Ricks as the three top cornerbacks on the roster. However, if Armour-Davis makes way for the NFL Draft, it could definitely open up some more playing time for Jackson. (BUY)
