As the 2024 Season ends with a tough loss to Michigan in Tampa, looking back on this team and its season has been a roller coaster….Read More

 

As the 2024 Season ends with a tough loss to Michigan in Tampa, looking back on this team and its season has been a roller coaster.

It started after Coach Saban announced his retirement and in 72 hours, Kalen DeBoer was hired to replace him. DeBoer did not inherit the same team that Saban had in his last season with Alabama.

27 players transferred out after Coach Saban announced his retirement as well as
11 players declaring for the NFL. That’s 38 players gone from an SEC Championship team.

On offense:
* QB – Eli Holstein (Pittsburgh)
* QB – Tyler Buchner (Notre Dame)
* QB – Julian Sayin (Ohio State)
* RB – Roydell Williams (Florida State)
* RB – Jase McClellan (NFL)
* WR – Isaiah Bond (Texas)
* WR – Malik Benson (Florida State)
* WR – Ja’Corey Brooks (Louisville)
* WR – Thaiu Jones Bell
* WR – Shazz Preston (Tulane)
* WR – Jermaine Burton (NFL)
* OL – JC Latham (NFL)
* OL – Seth McLaughlin (Ohio State)
* OL – Terrence Ferguson (Florida State)
* TE – Miles Kitselman (Tennessee)
* TE – Amari Niblack (Texas)

On Defense:
* S- Kristian Story (Kentucky)
* S – Jake Pope (Georgia)
* S – Caleb Downs (Ohio State)
* S – Jaylen Key (NFL)
* CB – Earl Little II (Florida State)
* CB – Antonio Kite (Auburn)
* CB – Dezz Ricks (Texas A&M)
* CB – Trey Amos (Ole Miss)
* CB – Jameer Grimsley (Florida)
* CB – Kool-Aid McKinstry (NFL)
* CB – Terrion Arnold (NFL)
* DL – Monkell Goodwine (S. Carolina)
* DL – Anquin Barnes (Colorado)
* DL – Isaiah Hastings (Missouri)
* DL – Justin Eboigbe (NFL)
* LB – Ian Jackson (UTSA)
* LB – Kendrick Blackshire (Texas)
* LB – Shawn Murphy (Florida State)
* LB – Dallas Turner (NFL)
* LB – Chris Braswell (NFL)
* LB – Trezman Marshall (NFL)
* K – Will Reichard (NFL)

Right after that, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who came with DeBoer from Washington leaves in February to become the new offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks.

We lost four players to season ending injuries and numerous other players who played hurt through the year.

Even after all that, Alabama was able to secure 9 wins including victories over Georgia, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina and Auburn. Yes the team loss games the should have won, the defense struggled at times, the offensive line had issues and Jalen Milroe had some bad games.

But the team pushed through all of this adversity and gave it everything they had. We would love to win every game and dominate every opponent, but sometimes that doesn’t happen.

This doesn’t mean the program that Saban built is destroyed. It means that the principles that it was built on are still there and this team will have to fight adversity like they have every season.

As an Alabama fan for over 40 years I’ve seen some great moments and I’ve seen some horrible moments. But no matter what, every time the Crimson Tide always rose.

Happy New Year and Roll Tide!