Nick Saban has won six national titles at Alabama, but if you ask coaches in the SEC, this is the best coaching job he’s done since his arrival in Tuscaloosa. They point to the Crimson Tide three weeks into the season. Alabama was coming off of a 34-24 home loss to Texas in which it was dominated in the trenches. The Tide followed that loss with a dismal showing in a 17-3 win against USF, loser of 17 consecutive games against FBS opponents at the time.
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“Look at how far this team has had to come from the first month of the season,” said one veteran SEC head coach. “You watched them when Texas beat them, when they were struggling so badly with South Florida. They didn’t look like an Alabama team. They were playing guys who weren’t ready. Had no identity on offense, no one who scared you. Then (Saban) gets them to win the SEC and into the College Football Playoff. No one would’ve expected that after those first three games. Nick’s done a great job.”
The Athletic spoke with a dozen SEC coaches, analysts and scouts to break down how the resurgent No. 4 Crimson Tide match up against No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl, a College Football Playoff semifinal. They were granted anonymity in exchange for candid scouting intel.
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The Tide seemed to be reeling after the USF game. Jalen Milroe, who opened the season as the starting quarterback, was benched after the loss to Texas in favor of Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner. Buchner was then benched for Ty Simpson; neither did much with the opportunity. So the Monday after beating USF, Saban announced that Milroe “earned the opportunity” to get the starting job back, with his “leadership” being a key reason.
The move was met with an eye roll by some and with more than a cringe from the SEC’s leading voice, Paul Finebaum. “I’ve covered Nick Saban since the day he arrived in the SEC, and this is maybe the most puzzling statement I’ve ever heard him make,” he said. “You don’t play the guy, and now he’s your best player, because he showed leadership — essentially being a cheerleader during the game. I don’t know how you can unpack that one any better than what I’ve just said, and it still doesn’t make any sense.”
Saban and his new offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, clearly knew what they were doing. That inexperienced quarterback is now flourishing. The Tide’s offensive line, which had been relying on a true freshman left tackle, Kadyn Proctor, has come together after looking so overwhelmed earlier in the season. The O-line dominated the Georgia defense to power the Tide to the SEC title, and Milroe, who outshined Heisman winner Jayden Daniels in a 42-28 win against LSU, is a budding star.
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“They’ve done a great job of taking what Milroe does best and allowing him to do that and manufacture everything else around him,” said an SEC defensive coordinator who faced Alabama late in the second half of the season. “They didn’t get kicking until probably their sixth game. That’s around when they changed what they were doing.
“They’re taking more vertical shots, and the intermediate stuff is coming when they’re moving (Milroe) out of the pocket and using the boot game. With him, it’s look at 1, then 2, and then he takes off. And that’s when he’s really scary.”
Milroe threw two interceptions against Texas, which is one more than he’s thrown since November began, as he has a TD-to-INT ratio of 10 to 1 in the past five games. The threat of his wheels, as evidenced by his 155 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in the LSU game, has defenses on their heels.
“They’ve found their niche as the year has gone on,” said an SEC West defensive coordinator. “(Rees) does a good job of formationing people, and he’s taken away half their reads for Milroe. I do think that kid is special. He’s the fastest guy on their team and I heard the kids love him. He throws it better than people give him credit. The other big thing: (offensive line coach) Eric (Wolford) has done a great job of developing those guys up front.”
“(Milroe’s) going to be a big problem for Michigan,” said an SEC defensive backs coach. “There is nobody in the Big Ten like him. He’s the best athlete on the field. He can run over your DBs and your linebackers can’t catch him.”
“I think Michigan is going to struggle to tackle Milroe,” said another SEC defensive coordinator who faced Milroe late in the season. “He’s very dangerous. I was not worried about the QB-designed runs. I was worried about when the pass is not there and he takes off and he has space.”
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Coaches think if Michigan can contain Milroe as a runner, Alabama’s offense will struggle again.
“I don’t think he can stand in the pocket and beat you,” said a head coach who faced the Tide late in the season, “but that’s not what he’s doing. I don’t think that’s what they want to do. He’s a 50-60 percent passer in the pocket if he has to read through a progression.”
Scouting the O-line
Whether the Michigan defense can hold up in the trenches against a massive — and massively improved — Tide O-line is another question.
Alabama surrendered 43 sacks this season, second-most in the SEC and almost double what it had allowed in 13 games last year. Texas sacked Milroe five times in Week 2 and notched nine TFLs. USF sacked the Tide QBs five more times the next week. Milroe was sacked 23 times in the following five games. In the last five games, Alabama has allowed only eight sacks.
“What they were up front at the time, that was as bad as they’d been in a couple of years,” said a head coach who faced Alabama in the first half of the season.
No player seemed to have come further on the line than Proctor. According to Pro Football Focus, the former five-star recruit allowed multiple sacks in four games and has surrendered 11 sacks this season.
“He looked lost against Texas and USF,” said an SEC defensive coordinator who faced Alabama in the middle of the season. “He’s gotten a lot better. He’s not an elite mover. To me, he’s more of an Orlando Brown-type of O-lineman.”
“I think he’s improved a ton,” said an SEC defensive line coach. “He really went though those growing pains, but he’s responded and the stage hasn’t been too big for him. They’re (the offensive line) clicking at the right time.”
Against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, Proctor had his highest-graded performance of the season. So did right tackle JC Latham, who was credited with four knockdown blocks. “(Latham) is such a big athlete,” said the D-line coach. “He’s their most complete one.”
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Sophomore right guard Jaeden Roberts had his best game against Georgia, notching a game-high six knockdown blocks. “That guy was a beast,” said a defensive coordinator who watched the SEC title game. “He’s so physical. They mauled Georgia.”
“They’re huge up front and they played with a different chip on their shoulder in the SEC title game,” added an SEC head coach.
The coaches interviewed didn’t think there was a glaring weak spot now that Proctor has begun to blossom.
“I wouldn’t call the center (Seth McLaughlin) a weak spot. I think he’s solid,” said a D-line coach, “but he is a little bit limited athletically and I don’t think they want him isolated one-on-one.”
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Scouting the offense
In a rare turn this season, Alabama lacks a true star running back or receiver.
“That’s the one part of the offense that is not as elite as the rest,” said the D-line coach, “but (Milroe) helps open some things up for them. And they aren’t slouches.”
“None of the backs are scary,” said an SEC defensive backs coach. “(Jase McClellan) is probably the best one. They don’t have a lot of shifty guys, but they run hard and get downhill.”
McClellan, a senior, led all Alabama rushers with 803 yards and scored six TDs. He missed the Georgia game with a foot injury. His status for the Rose Bowl is undisclosed. Senior Roydell Williams (561 yards) has played a lot in his career, while sophomore Jam Miller has shown some playmaking ability as a receiver.
“I think their backs are better than people give them credit for,” said a defensive coordinator who faced the Tide in the middle of the season. “McClellan has good vision and balance.”
It’s a similar story with the Tide receivers. Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton is the top big-play guy outside, having caught 35 passes for 777 yards and eight TDs, while speedy sophomore Isaiah Bond has had a breakthrough season with 44 catches for 621 yards and four TDs.
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“I think (Milroe) always looks for Burton,” said one of the DCs. “He has a lot of confidence in him. He’s a good route runner.”
“They’re nowhere near what they had in the past,” said a defensive backs coach. “(Burton) is pretty good and Bond is starting to come along. I think their tight end (sophomore Amari Niblack) is good. He has a chance to be a guy in the NFL.”
“I don’t think they have quite the juice outside,” said an analyst on an SEC team that played the Tide at midseason.
Scouting the defense
Alabama ranks No. 18 in the country in total defense and No. 31 in run defense. It’s worth noting that in the six seasons Saban has won a national title in Tuscaloosa, his run defenses have ranked No. 2, No. 1, No. 1. No. 1, No. 1 and No. 17 (in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).
Said an SEC head coach, “They don’t have the same physicality on the defensive front as they’re used to, but they’re still really good. But it’s not like you put on the tape and fear them.”
The Tide’s defense, particularly in its first two levels, hasn’t been as consistent as past defenses. The defense gave up 478 yards to LSU, which averaged 8.24 yards per play, and later got shredded for 244 rushing yards against Auburn. Still, it had with a dominant performance against Georgia, holding the Bulldogs to just 78 rushing yards — 99 below their season average.
“They’re probably not as good up front on defense as they had been,” said another head coach. “They’re definitely not as good at linebacker, but this were as talented as they’ve been on the back end in the past few years.”
Junior edge rusher Dallas Turner, who led the team with 13.5 TFLs, nine sacks and 13 QB hurries, is the most feared up front. “He scares you,” said one head coach. “He’s elite.”
Turner’s bookend on the opposite side, Chris Braswell, is a freaky 256-pounder who can run almost 22 miles per hour and has a 38 1/2-inch vertical jump. He is second on the team in sacks with eight. There isn’t a Quinnen Williams-type presence inside, but Justin Eboigbe (seven sacks) is their best big guy. “They ask him to take two guys a lot to let the other guys roll,” said an offensive assistant who played Alabama early. “He’s very solid.”
Scouting the secondary
“They might have two of the top five corners in college football,” said one SEC quarterbacks coach. “Maybe two of the top two. Their secondary is a lot better than Georgia’s.”
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Kool-Aid McKinstry was named a first-team All-American by several services and is viewed as a top-20 pick by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. “He’s big and talented, but he’s so handsy. He’s a big pass interference guy,” said an offensive coach who played Alabama in the first half of the season.
Terrion Arnold is viewed by rival coaches as an even better corner. The junior leads the SEC with five picks. An SEC defensive backs coach said Arnold’s athleticism separates him from other corners.
“Their two corners really got in our grill,” added an SEC West analyst. “They had the two best corners we saw. Not gonna give you access or easy throws.”
Freshman safety Caleb Downs, a five-star recruit, also draws raves. He has 99 tackles, 34 more than the second-leading tackler (Jihaad Campbell) on the defense. “He will be unbelievable,” said an offensive analyst on an SEC West team. “It’s crazy to be a true freshman playing in that system the way he is.”
“Caleb is one of the best safeties I’ve seen coming out of high school in years,” said an SEC West defensive backs coach. “He’ll probably be a top-10 pick.”
The Tide’s secondary is playing at such a high level that one SEC QB coach thinks Alabama will roll against Michigan. “How’s Michigan gonna score? You have to get open against Alabama. Who is getting open for Michigan? Georgia couldn’t get open.”
Who wins: Alabama or Michigan?
Almost all of the coaches who faced Alabama believe the Tide will handle Michigan.
One coach thought Michigan’s best hope is if it can sustain a running game. Auburn gave Alabama problems mixing up who the Tigers were reading on the defense. The Tigers would change the picture right before they snapped the ball. That made the Tide linebackers hesitant, and they couldn’t always get over the top. Some plays with Auburn’s gap scheme popped open.
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Texas gave Alabama some headaches, too, with cluster sets and short motions that forced the Tide backs to make another check as they’d try to set up double teams. Because Michigan is a big movement team, one coach said that will present some challenges for Alabama.
“One thing (Michigan) must do is get it to third-and-short,” said an SEC head coach. “If they can do that, they’ll have a shot. You can’t let Nick get into their third-down packages.”
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(Top photo: Steve Limentani / ISI Photos / Getty)
