2022 Recap: It was a different feel last season. I was immediately concerned about them after the game against the Texas Longhorns in week two. Coming into that game, nobody gave the Longhorns a chance to even compete and they lost by a point. Against Texas A&M, they struggled to put the Aggies away and they fell short to the Tennessee Volunteers the following week. Whenever I look back at the years when the Crimson Tide won the National Championship, they’ve always had quality play in the secondary. The last two years, they have struggled and teams are exposing that weakness. They missed the playoffs for just the second time under Nick Saban in 2022.
Key Departures: QB Bryce Young, EDGE Will Andrerson, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, S Brian Branch.
2023 Prediction: The SEC West will come down to two teams. The Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers. LSU stunned us all and won the SEC West last year. This could go either way, but I can’t bet against Alabama and I just don’t see them losing the division in consecutive years. The Crimson Tide will bounce back. Tommy Rees was hired to run the offense and former Notre Dame Quarterback Tyler Buchner followed him to Tuscaloosa. Until the offense is stabilized with the new Quarterback, expect them to run the football more and slow games down. Kevin Steele is now the new Defensive Coordinator and will have to replace Will Anderson and some key cogs in the secondary.
