The inaugural year of the 12-team College Football Playoff was the perfect time for the Alabama Crimson Tide to make their first head coaching change in 17 years. Previously, only four teams qualified for the tournament, leaving little room for error. Now, with 12 spots, teams can experience growing pains and even losses, but one bad week won't derail their dreams of winning the national championship.
New head coach Cullen DeBoer is fresh off leading the Washington Huskies to a Sugar Bowl victory and national title, but the battles in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and the SEC are much bigger. DeBoer has done a great job of smoothing the makeup of the team despite Saban's retirement, but the Tide lost some great talent, including Caleb Downs, who transferred to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
But Alabama did land a couple key transfers from Washington, plus a couple other portal additions. In other great news, 5-star receiver Ryan Williams arrived on campus this week, and it will be exciting to see how quickly he can pick up the new offense.
Despite the completely new staff and many new players, Alabama will still be at the top of the food chain, according to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports. Dodd ranked the Crimson Tide No. 5 in the country and said:
“Expectations will remain the same as Cullen DeBoer takes over in Year 1 after Saban's departure. It will be exciting to see how DeBoer's downfield passing game translates to Jalen Milroe, the top return passer in that category (10.0 yards/attempt). When will this excellence end? For the third time in four years, exactly 10 Alabama players have been selected in the NFL Draft.”
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire
