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• Returning Offensive Starters:
  7 (QB, FB, RB, SE, FL, C, RT)
• Returning Defensive Starters:
  9 (RDE, RDT, LDT, RLB, LLB, RCB, LCB, FS, SS)
• Returning Specialists:
  0

• Projected Overall Record:       
  7-4 (UF, UT, LSU, AU)
• Projected SEC Record:           
  4-4 (UF, UT, LSU, AU)
• Projected SEC West Record:   
  3-2 (LSU, AU)

Click for 2005 Alabama Depth Chart (Coming Soon)

Alabama will be a pro-set team based primarily out of the I-formation, but if spring practice was any indication, Alabama will be running more multiple wide receiver formations than in 2004 and throwing the ball a lot more. The key to Alabama's success is how well a young, rebuilding offensive line can protect Tide quarterbacks and open holes for the running backs. Spring practice didn't give many people good vibrations in that regard.

This is Brodie Croyle's last hurrah as Alabama's starting quarterback, and if the Crimson Tide is serious about making a trip to Atlanta, he must stay healthy. The start to Croyle's 2004 season was phenomenal -- in the first three games, Croyle was 44-of-66 for 534 yards, 6 touchdowns and no interceptions. Then, like the critical scene in "Friday Night Lights," Croyle rolled out on a meaningless play and tore knee ligaments, ending his season. Alabama's fast start came to a quick halt.

If Croyle is stays healthy, it's a safe bet he'll put up some of the SEC's best numbers. He's developed well the last two years and has the best arm in the conference. It's to be seen whether Croyle comes out gunshy after what has happened to him health-wise the last two years. Spencer Pennington would have been Croyle's backup, but he elected to pursue a career in baseball instead. That leaves the backup job to a true freshman, John Parker Wilson, and Marc Guillon, who was Croyle's original backup last year.

Wilson displayed a good arm and good mobility in the spring, but he's yet to take a snap in a college game and was out of football last year while grayshirting. Still, he had a solid spring and appeared to put at least some distance between himself and Guillon. Guillon's main issue is chronic back trouble, but another issue is that in a two-game audition last year after Croyle went down, Guillon did very little. Look for Alabama to get Wilson a lot of playing time in the first two or three games.

Behind that trio is a couple of true freshmen, Jimmy Johns and Jimmy Barnes. Barnes will almost certainly have to redshirt to get into proper condition, but Johns could play next year if needed. Physically, he's an imposing individual -- so imposing, in fact, that linebacker may be his ultimate destination. Redshirt freshman walk-on Adam Thrash is also back from 2004.

Players recovering from injury is the story here, as well. Starting tailback Kenneth Darby is recovering from sports hernia surgery, while fullback-tailback Tim Castille is recovering from knee reconstruction. Darby is more ready to play at this point than Castille. Darby showed considerable skills in 2004, emerging as the starter after Ray Hudson went down with a knee injury of his own.

While not quite as fast as Hudson, Darby may be a more complete player, especially in the areas of blocking and receiving. Castille will most likely compete at fullback with Le'Ron McClain, who has made some preseason all-star lists. McClain is by far a better blocker and a better power runner, but Castille has more ability outside and has better hands out of the backfield.

Look for Castille to be held out, or at least limited, for about the first month of the year until the coaches figure out just how healthy he is. If Castille can't go, that puts the fullback position in a bind. Kyle Bennett, Victor Horn and Mookie Chaney, all walk-ons, form the depth chart right now. Bennett, a converted linebacker, is the biggest of the three and an able blocker, but doesn't appear to be a threat with the ball in his hands.

Horn is a converted running back who was once a scholarshipped player at Auburn, but he is recovering from a very severe broken leg last fall. Chaney played the position in spring training, but like Horn, is also mainly an oversized tailback.  A possible solution will be to play signees Travis McCall, who could end up at tight end, linebacker or defensive end, or Baron Huber, who also figures to start out on defense.

The scenario is different behind Darby. In addition to Castille, who will play both positions if healthy, Alabama returns Aaron Johns, who started in Darby's place against Auburn and Minnesota. Johns is considerably smaller than Darby or Castille, but that wouldn't be an issue if he resembled former Tide star Shaud Williams in more than just his size. Johns, however, doesn't run inside well, which is a requirement in head coach Mike Shula's offense.

Because of that, look for Roy Upchurch or Glen Coffee, a pair of talented signees, to fight for the top backup job. Upchurch is a glider who reminds many observers of former Alabama great Bobby Humphrey, while Coffee is a well-built power back with surprising speed. Also in the mix is another signee, Ali Sharrief, and walk-ons Rashad Johnson and Theo Townsend. Sharrief, like Johns, is a smaller player, but he's better built and isn't afraid to take on bigger players in the middle.

Johnson has good size and decent speed, and did well enough in spring training to perhaps position himself for a scholarship sometime down the road. Townsend is brave for such a small player, but is probably a situational back only. He does have good speed, however.

What was a position of question marks prior to the 2004 season is now one of Alabama's greatest team strengths. Alabama lost no players from this unit, with the exception of sixth-year senior Antonio Carter, for whom injuries had already curtailed his promising career. Returning is the "big five" group of Tyrone Prothro, Keith Brown, D.J. Hall, Matt Caddell and Ezekial Knight. Each of the five has his own signature characteristics.

Prothro is the shifty, strong fireplug that can take a five-yard out and turn it into a 30-yard backbreaker. He's also a force in the running game, holding the unofficial title of Alabama's best blocking wide receiver. Brown is tall and lanky, but has an extra speed gear that makes other receivers jealous. He has good hands, but needs to get more comfortable going over the middle.

Caddell is a speed burner with decent size who is still working on his hands. Hall is a very good all-around receiver -- tall, fast, with good hands, and comfortable going across the middle. The most intriguing of the group, however, might be Knight, who boasts almost tight end size. Knight tips the scales close to 6'5" and 230 pounds, but can clock off a high 4.5 40-yard dash and has soft hands. He's also aggressive and doesn't mind contact. After a slow start in 2004, he came on late and left a lot of observers drooling over the possibilities for the 2005 season.

Alabama also has good depth behind these players. Junior Marcus McKnight had his second consecutive strong spring, and is in a position to get some meaningful snaps for the first time in his career. Redshirt freshman Will Oakley has great hands and good athleticism, but was injured and fought a severe viral infection for much of his true freshman year.

Senior Matt Miller has glue-like hands and good size, and could be an effective possession receiver for Alabama. Brandon Brooks is only 5'5", which limits the roles he can play, but he could be a weapon on bubble screens and in other situations.

Jake Collins, Patrick Gordon and signee Travis Sikes -- who most likely will grayshirt and miss the 2005 season -- are other possibilities. Things aren't so rosy at tight end, however, where Trent Davidson may miss up to a month of the season recovering from foot surgery. His absence leaves redshirt freshman Nick Walker and senior Greg McLain to fight for the position. Walker is perhaps the best receiving tight end Alabama has had since Lamonde Russell in the late 1980s, but must learn to block better in order to help out the young offensive line.

McLain is a better blocker and has experience at the position, but he also has a long injury history and is not a big threat in the receiving game. Signees Travis McCall and Charles Hoke could each get a look here, along with Baron Huber. Hoke is the most intriguing player because of his size (6'7", 250 pounds), but ideally, all three would redshirt.

Walk-ons Barrett Earnest and Will Denniston had acceptable springs and could be stopgap solutions until Davidson returns. Davidson is a bit below average right now as a pass receiver, but is a formidable blocker.

Undoubtedly the problem spot for the Crimson Tide offense, Alabama goes into 2005 with very few known quantities along its offensive line. The exception is center J.B. Closner, who has been a fixture there since 2003. Closner showed improvement this spring, and is a capable player. Unfortunately, Alabama needs him to be a great player, something that might not be within his abilities. Closner is a good run blocker, but is uneven in pass blocking and needs to improve in making line calls.

Right tackle Kyle Tatum also returns, but he had a difficult first season in 2004 after moving over from defensive tackle. Tatum, like Closner, is good in the running game but has troubles pass blocking. He also has the tendency to get penalties, a trait that carried over into the spring. If he can simply progress from last year, his 2005 season would probably be considered a success.

The Tide's best offensive lineman may be a redshirt freshman yet to play a down. Antoine Caldwell challenged Closner for playing time in 2004 fall camp, but broke his foot and redshirted. He'll start at left guard this fall, and displayed some truly special ability in spring training. He must continue to add weight, though, and needs game experience. The other two positions are a bit up in the air.

Left tackle will come down to a battle between sophomore Chris Capps, who has the advantage based on playing time from last year as Wesley Britt's backup, and Cody Davis, who could also challenge at right tackle if Tatum doesn't improve. Capps is the better pass blocker, but Davis is the better run blocker and might have more overall potential. Right guard is a complete mystery at the moment.

Senior Mark Sanders is currently leading the way, although he has minimal playing time over his career. Redshirt freshman B.J. Stabler was thought to be set to run away with the job in the spring, but couldn't stay healthy. Justin Moon and Taylor Britt are also in the mix, but neither could take the job away from Sanders in brief trials in the spring. Britt is also the only other center currently available on the team.

Of the other players that were part of the team in the spring, walk-on brothers David Brown and Dawson Brown figure to have the best chances to play. Dawson is a transfer from UAB, while David has good size and can play both tackle positions.

Al Jefferson, Layne Rinks and Morgan Garner were also in the mix during the spring. More likely, though, is that one or more of Alabama's signees could get playing time. Because of the situation at right guard, the signee with the best chance to snag time may be Marlon Davis.

Tackles Drew Davis, who was with the team in the spring as a grayshirt, and Michael Johnson figure to compete for a backup spot behind Tatum at right tackle, although it's more likely that Cody Davis will back up both tackle positions.

Evan Cardwell figures to land at center or guard, while Cole Harvey will probably grayshirt. Alabama is building some depth here, but at least in the early part of the season, the line will probably be a liability.

Alabama's defense under Joe Kines got a little more aggressive in 2004, but still keeps components of a read-and-react scheme. The inside-out philosophy maximizes Alabama's speed on defense, which is necessary given that Alabama doesn't have great size. The hot rumor in the offseason has the Tide moving from a 4-3 to a 3-3-5 alignment, but that's more likely to be a situational defense rather than the base. Alabama led the nation in pass defense last year, but was just 37^th against the run, a figure that must improve.

Alabama's line play in 2004 was acceptable, but not up to the standards of previous teams. Defensive coordinator Joe Kines did a good job of developing rush schemes to hide the deficiencies on Alabama's front, but the Music City Bowl loss to Minnesota exposed a soft underbelly in the Tide defense.

Most of last year's players are back. Jeremy Clark will hold down one tackle position, while Rudy Griffin will battle Justin Britt and Dominic Lee for the other. Griffin is likely to start because of his consistency and durability, but Britt and Lee both have more potential. Britt may be the only interior player with a consistent ability to rush the passer. Unfortunately, Britt was hurt during the spring, and Lee -- the most prototypical nose guard Alabama has -- may still not be healthy.

Behind this group are a couple of walk-ons and a myriad of signees who could help. J.P. Adams had a very solid spring and could compete for a few snaps despite not being on scholarship. Justin Johnson also had a solid spring. Allen Long has shown ability in the past, but was injured during spring drills. Of the signees, Brandon Fanney, Byron Walton and Lorenzo Washington appear most likely to compete for time inside. Walton is the most ready physically, coming in at around 6'4" and 300 pounds. Fanney and Washington are both converted ends -- and could see playing time at that position, too -- and probably need to pack on a few pounds.

The situation at defensive end looks much clearer. Mark Anderson returns for his senior season. Although he has the reputation of a sack master, Anderson finished 2004 with only 1.5 sacks, which tied him with departed tackle Anthony Bryant. Wallace Gilberry, who takes over full-time for Todd Bates at the other end position, finished 2004 with some truly mind-boggling numbers: 28 tackles, 13 of them for loss, and 6.5 sacks. The only question with Gilberry is whether he can play the majority of snaps every game. He is a bit undersized for the position, although he is working to improve his bulk.

Backing Anderson and Gilberry up are Chris Harris, who turned his career around nicely last year and gave Gilberry a run for his money in the spring, and Keith Saunders, who emerged as a legitimate threat after spending 2004 as a complete non-factor. Depth behind them falls almost exclusively to signees.

In addition to Fanney and Washington, look for Brandon Deaderick to make some racket in fall camp. Travis McCall and Bobby Greenwood will also compete for time, although McCall could wind up at tight end. Eryk Anders will report as a linebacker, but figures to redshirt and could move to defensive end. Alabama needs several of these players to step up immediately.

The strength of the Alabama defense probably lies here. Even though the secondary received well-deserved praise for its 2004 efforts, it was the work of the linebackers, as both pass rushers and coverage men, that made possible the good work of Tide defensive backs. Fortunately for Alabama, most of the players return.

The big question is whether Freddie Roach, who proved much more effective as a roving linebacker/end in 2004 than as a player at a set position, can replace Cornelius Wortham in the middle. Wortham is now with the Seattle Seahawks, and with him goes one of the best football minds Alabama has had the privilege to have in its history. Roach will get plenty of help from DeMeco Ryans, possibly the best linebacker in the SEC in 2005. Ryans is out of position about as often as the planets are relative to their solar orbits. Like Wortham, Ryans has a passion for the game and the intelligence to match.

The coaches hope that Juwan Simpson -- formerly Juwan Garth -- can return to the form he showed in 2003. He's most effective when roving the field and playing in coverage, and has trouble taking running backs head-on. Roach and Ryans should be able to cover up his shortcomings, but Roach needs to display better lateral movement.

The depth situation at outside linebacker is fine; Terrence Jones and Demarcus Waldrop are small players -- Waldrop is smaller than starting cornerback Ramzee Robinson -- but they make plays in space and have great athleticism. Marcel Stamps moved over from wide receiver late in 2004 and showed promise. He could eventually challenge for the starting job held by Simpson.

Juke King finished spring as a backup in the middle, but he was losing ground there and could end up back outside in the fall. Depth in the middle isn't so rosy. Walk-on sophomore Matt Collins finished the spring as Roach's top reserve, but lacks the lateral mobility necessary to make plays sideline-to-sideline. He's a very good straight-ahead run stopper, however. If King moves back outside, it will leave a hole that might be filled by signee Prince Hall, who is a playmaker. Hall's qualification status has been so on-again, off-again, that we won't project his availability until he actually suits up.

Alabama signed several other players who could wind up here. Zach Schreiber has a chance to play early. He's the only signee who projects strictly as a strongside linebacker, although he could also change position groups and play defensive end. Travis McCall and Baron Huber share a rare commonality -- either could play middle linebacker, defensive end, tight end or fullback. They'll go where they're needed, depth wise.

Eryk Anders is another that could play in the middle, outside or at defensive end. Defensive back signees Cory Reamer and Sam Burnthall will start out at safety, but could wind up here. Burnthall is likely to grayshirt. Walk-on Brent Nall is also in the mix.

Unfortunately for Alabama, there are two major holes in its special teams units -- both placekicker and punter. The good news is that the kick return unit seems to have stabilized, with Tyrone Prothro handling punt and kick return duties.

Who teams with Prothro on kick returns has not yet been finalized, but it is a good bet that some combination of Ezekial Knight, Brandon Brooks or D.J. Hall will get first crack in fall camp. But a signee such as Roy Upchurch could also end up with the job.

The big concern for most fans, though, isn't who's returning kicks or covering them. It's who is doing the kicking and the punting. Coming out of spring, senior Jeremy Schatz had a tenuous hold on the punting job, but that figures to change early in the fall. Schatz is a good punter in short-yardage situations, and he kicks a ball with an odd spiral. But his length strength is below average, and has trouble getting the team out of trouble deep in its own territory.

Jeffery Aul has more leg strength, but no game experience as a punter (he was, however, Alabama's kickoff man for a brief time in 2003), and was not as consistent as Schatz in spring work. Two others, Patrick Eades and Joseph McPhillips, have had moments in practice, but neither was listed on the summer roster. Eades is still recovering from a major auto accident more than a year ago, and might never be the same.

Heading into the fall, two walk-ons, P.J. Fitzgerald and Andrew Friedman, will get a look. Friedman will also get a look at placekicker, but the situation there is a little less critical. Jamie Christensen spent last year as Alabama's kickoff man, but has the inside track to handle all kicking duties in 2005. He has a strong leg, but must work on his accuracy.

C.J. Rhody may eventually prove to be the best kicker Alabama has, but like Christensen, needs to work on his accuracy. Ryan Saxby displayed good accuracy in the spring, but not the leg strength of Rhody and Christensen. Alabama should be okay with some mixture of Rhody, Saxby and Christensen, but punter will continue to be a problem through at least the first month of the season, probably.

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