| FTBL 2024. The new era

[alabamajack]

In no way shape or form am I downing Nick. Just bringing up topics that maybe would be discussion that I've been thinking about.

How do y'all feel that this coaching staff as a whole (speaking only about coordinators and assistants) compares to what we had the last 3-5 years? In my opinion, I think that these coaches will bring more hunger and a different (not saying better or worse, just different) approach to recruiting and play calling on both sides of the ball.

How will y'all feel if whether due to the Saban effect or nil deals, IF Alabama goes from having top 5 or better recruiting classes to going to top 10? Personally, I admit I'm a huge fan of 5 stars, but in the end, I just want a winning program.

How many wins do we have to have this year for you to consider it a good year? Do we need to make it to the playoffs? In my opinion, 9 wins is a must, 8 wins and I could chalk it up to all the changes being made. Making the playoffs would be a good year. Making it to the the final 4 would be a damn good year.

Which players that we currently have do you think will be pleasant surprises this year and which players do you think might struggle?

I don't know much about our new defensive coordinator. What changes in philosophies do you think we will have?

Please feel free to add any questions because let's be honest, we probably all have questions like this

 

[TerryP]

I don't expect a National Championship every year. I expect a program that's competing for a title every year.

Making the playoffs would be a good year. Making it to the the final 4 would be a damn good year.

Expectations for next season need to wait until May...

 

[UAgrad93]

I don't expect a National Championship every year. I expect a program that's competing for a title every year.

Expectations for next season need to wait until May...

Agree with waiting until May. By then, we will have a better understanding on who is on our roster and what we have overall!

 

[TerryP]

Agree with waiting until May. By then, we will have a better understanding on who is on our roster and what we have overall!

I'm telling you, Kevin, Morgan is better at this than people realize. @BamaFan334 is going to hate this. Gut feeling here.

Except I have a little evidence on roster building...

 

[bamanc50]

IMO, if Bama is not in the top 12 next year, the top 4 in 2 years, and in the NC game the 3rd year this Bama fan base is going to be out of control. I still believe CKD and this staff will get it done. RTR

 

[MunchyOs]

Well I've seen some predictions as bad as 5-7. That's beyond ridiculous. Of course nobody knows a thing right now, but if this team goes 5-7, I'lll eat my hat. As @TerryP said, expectations for next season need to wait until after spring ball.

We are in the worst of the bumpy transitional time right now. Saban's retirement is still fresh at the moment. But it won't stay that way. By the time A day gets here, his retirement will be old news. Probably before then. The new staff is looking pretty doggone good. I'd much rather have Ryan Grubb than Tommy Rees any day of the week. And I like Womack better than Steele. Not that Steele was awful, but truth be told, he was a last ditch effort because CNS couldn't get anybody else. And let's face it, all due respect to the GOAT, but he was having a very hard time finding anybody to come work for him in those last 2-3 seasons. That's not been the case with DeBoer

We will be fine

 

[OldPlayer]

First, we need to avoid comparing DeBoer with Saban. You can’t compare Saban to anybody fairly. The tendency will be to compare Nick at the end of his career with DeBoer midway through his career. It’s not a fair comparison.

Let’s see what comes out of Spring practice. That will tell us, and the coaching staff, what we are working with.

Second, I’m expecting some good and unique things to come from the new coaching staff. For 17 years Nick has brought coaches in to run the Alabama offense and defense. Nobody installed a new offense or defense. Yes, they made tweaks, but the base was Alabama, not the new guy’s. The slate is now clean. DeBoer can use none or some of what’s been here. He’s an offensive coach so I’m expecting many changes. Defensively the book is wide open.

 

[bamafan4ever]

First, we need to avoid comparing DeBoer with Saban. You can’t compare Saban to anybody fairly. The tendency will be to compare Nick at the end of his career with DeBoer midway through his career. It’s not a fair comparison.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

 

[alabamajack]

Comparison is the thief of joy.

The thief of joy is a mad wife

 

[Kamikazi18627]

Making the playoffs every year should be a reasonable expectation. Except for maybe year 1.

 

[rick4bama]

 

[mando]

Only comparsion I will make is winning championships (I am not expecting it will be at the CNS rate of championships). Other things I will look for is a team playing disciplined, fundamentally sound and being well prepared in all three phases. Doing that by itself will win a lot of games but to be a consitent championship team it will take well coached elite talent. Being outside the top 10 or even top 5 will mean you are playing against opponents that have better talent at least from a depth standpoint. That is a tough ask to get any kind of sustainable momentum.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Only comparsion I will make is winning championships (I am not expecting it will be at the CNS rate of championships). Other things I will look for is a team playing disciplined, fundamentally sound and being well prepared in all three phases. Doing that by itself will win a lot of games but to be a consitent championship team it will take well coached elite talent. Being outside the top 10 or even top 5 will mean you are playing against opponents that have better talent at least from a depth standpoint. That is a tough ask to get any kind of sustainable momentum.

However, many those teams with top 5 classes will have many more primadonnas looking for fat paychecks, which is antithetical to maintaining team chemistry.

This NIL business is creating MONSTERS. Most of this kids aren't mature or grounded enough for million dollar deals.

Heck, we had a couple of primadonnas on our squad this year. Thankfully, they're gone.

I'd rather have a squad full of mostly 4 stars (with a few 3 stars) that are hungry for winning than a bunch of 5 stars that are hungry for money.

But, maybe we can still pull top 5 classes and CKD can get them bought in. Hopefully, anyway.

 

[24and7]

 

[Bamabww]

I'd rather have a squad full of mostly 4 stars (with a few 3 stars) that are hungry for winning than a bunch of 5 stars

Agree. Washington's recruiting class for the past two years was rated in the mid 30s. He coached those players to the NC game. He'll do the same at Alabama in time.

 

[BamaFan334]

However, many those teams with top 5 classes will have many more primadonnas looking for fat paychecks, which is antithetical to maintaining team chemistry.

This NIL business is creating MONSTERS. Most of this kids aren't mature or grounded enough for million dollar deals.

Heck, we had a couple of primadonnas on our squad this year. Thankfully, they're gone.

I'd rather have a squad full of mostly 4 stars (with a few 3 stars) that are hungry for winning than a bunch of 5 stars that are hungry for money.

But, maybe we can still pull top 5 classes and CKD can get them bought in. Hopefully, anyway.

Creating failure too. Not many top flight guys have flourished since NIL. Caleb Williams and Drake May are two guys that saw statistical drops after their market exploded with demand. Can name tons of others, but I think we'll see more and more guys not live up to the hype or billing. So many lack the fight and desire it takes to get to the NFL when being given riches baded off of high school evaluations and then most of those still don't put in the time and focus to develop. I still stand firm in that belief.

This doesn't even take into account tge transfers due to NIL just disappearing.

 

[24and7]

I would rather have a class of very coachable and developable 3 and 4 stars, than a bunch of Primadonna’s or cancers… too hell with winning the recruiting title every year , if we can win otherwise..

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

Kalen came to Bama for close to the same money, so he isn't afraid to dive into the deep end of the pool. If he can recruit in the top10-15 then we should be OK provided he and his staff can actually make players better! I don't believe Nick and the staff (that he could hire these last 3 years) were making both sides of the ball better.

I think we will take another hit after spring drills and these will be players that just aren't all in on Kalen and they're not going to start. 2024 could be 7-5 year if things don't go well. We'll have a much clear picture around the last week in October as to what we have.

In hindsight Nick should have hung up the whistle at the end of the 2020 season while Sark was on the staff but that would have cost Nick 30+ million.


OH and yesterday during the golf tournament the Golf Channel had Nick on the phone Jupiter discussing Dunlap. He isn't in that office at the stadium.

 

[BamaFan334]

I'm telling you, Kevin, Morgan is better at this than people realize. @BamaFan334 is going to hate this. Gut feeling here.

Except I have a little evidence on roster building...

I just want us to recruit elite talent and not fall behind the other heavy hitters. I love our hire, still learning about the assistants, but really glad we ended up with Coach DeBoer. I want the elite athletes as well. not selfish to want the best for our program. Now the strategy is changing and you are almost better finding older mature talent through the portal than recruiting high school talent that wants money. I'll take a guy that has experience and still hungry over a guy that has proven zero.

 

[alabamajack]

Finally found some information about Kane Wommack. Here is some info about last year's South Alabama defense

• Stop rate (percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs, according to TruMedia): 71.4 percent, 18th in the FBS.
• Total defense: 313.2 yards allowed per game, 15th.
• Scoring defense: 21 points allowed per game, 26th.
• Third down defense: 34.1 percent, 27th.
• Takeaways: 22, 26th.

in 2024, South Alabama ranked 14th nationally in pressure rate (38 percent) in 2023 despite ranking 124th in blitz rate (18.1 percent)

Overall, Wommack’s defenses are known for their aggressiveness. The Jaguars ranked 30th in the FBS in havoc rate (16.7 percent) in 2023, havoc rate being the percentage of defensive plays that result in a tackle for loss, sack, force fumble, interception or pass deflection. (Alabama’s havoc rate of 16 percent ranked 42nd.) Both defenses allowed the same percentage of explosive plays: 10.1 percent, which ranked 21st

The foundation of Wommack’s defense is the 4-2-5, differing from Saban’s 3-4 base, although that system evolved during Saban’s tenure. Common terms under Saban included Star, Sam, Jack, Mike and Money. Those terms will be replaced with Bandit, Sting, Wolf, Husky and Rover under Wommack.

Wommack’s system utilizes a starting boundary cornerback and a field cornerback: The boundary corner takes the short side of the field from the hash mark to the sidelines while the field corner covers the wide side from the hash mark where the ball is spotted. This is a stark difference from Saban defenses that played the two cornerbacks exclusively on the left or right side