Welcome to Glass Slipper! We all know that Brandon Aiyuk is staying put. Just pay the man already; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

The greatest coach in college football history just walked out the door. Now a new era begins, with a squad that is fully capable of winning a national championship right now. Let’s take a look at the #6 team in the Glass Slipper rankings, Alabama.

Offense

It’s wild how much can change in a year. Last summer, Jalen Milroe was locked in a heated quarterback battle with a lacrosse player. Now he’s a popular Heisman pick, and a hero in Tuscaloosa. I don’t need to spend much time discussing this kid; he’s an absolute star that should move the ball at will this season. Kalen DeBoer likes to sling it around, and Milroe is going to take another leap as a passer.

On January 3, Alabama’s starting center Seth McLaughlin hopped into the portal. A few hours later, brilliant left tackle JC Latham declared for the NFL Draft. Two weeks after that, it was revealed that prized right tackle Kadyn Proctor also intended to transfer. Yet somehow - even after that catastrophic series of decisions - I think the Crimson Tide have the best line in the country. Tyler Booker and Jaedan Roberts are fantastic at the guard spots. Proctor made us all think of that Grandpa Simpson hat meme, ditching Iowa to return to Bama before playing a snap for the Hawkeyes. DeBoer brought Parker Brailsford with him from Washington, and the big center was just named a preseason first-team All-American. Former five-star Elijah Pritchett steps in for Latham to protect Milroe’s blind side. As an Ohio State fan, this group makes me extremely jealous.

If those flashes that Justice Haynes showed in the Michigan game were real, the Tide are going to be fine at running back. It’s actually the receivers that concern me the most on this offense; the top three threats from a year ago are gone. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ryan Williams forces his way into a big role. Alabama folks have been whispering about the five-star freshman for a long time, and I don’t see any reason to keep him off the field. He’ll only be in town for three seasons, and the guys at the top of the depth chart aren’t special. Don’t make him wait for no reason.

Defense

There’s going to be some slippage on this end. I don’t see a single starter on the Tide’s defense that will ever make a Pro Bowl. Caleb Downs obviously had that kind of ceiling, but he now plays his ball - and launches his companies - in my hometown.

To me, the questions begin and end with new defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. Are we sure he deserves this job? Most recently, he was the head coach at South Alabama. In three seasons, he went… 22-16. Look, I won’t pretend to be too knowledgeable about the Jaguars’ program from a schematics standpoint or anything. But I’m pretty sure that winning less than 58% of your games while competing in the SBC isn’t particularly impressive.

Before that, Wommack ran Indiana’s defense. In his lone 12-game season in Bloomington, his unit finished 45th in the nation in points allowed per game. I sifted and searched through this dude’s entire coaching history to find the accolade or achievement that makes him qualified to be the DC for the Tide. It does not exist. It kind of just seems like DeBoer liked him while they were both on staff for the Hoosiers, and he gifted him an opportunity here.

I’m not saying Alabama can’t be good enough defensively. Anything is possible with a collection of elite recruits. But this is absolutely not a dominant bunch.

Season Outlook

Pre-Bowl Record Prediction: 11-2

Selection Sunday Fan Mood: Get ready. Everyone on this planet is going to listen to us gloat if we win a title in our first year without Saban. They’ll hear it in Columbus. They’ll hear it in Athens. You better believe that those folks in Jordan-Hare will get a taste. We will be absolutely insufferable, and there won’t be a single thing that you can do about it.

Pressroom

Spin It

“Meant to Be” by Bebe Rexha (feat. Florida Georgia Line). Baseball season.