📡 Alabama places seven on Sporting News’ preseason All-American team - WZDX

[Bama News]

Alabama places seven on Sporting News’ preseason All-American team

Alabama football placed seven total players on the Sporting News’ 2019 preseason All-American team, which was announced Wednesday. The Crimson Tide had two first-team selections and…

www.rocketcitynow.com

Sporting New’s 2019 preseason All-American team
First-team offense

QB: Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
RB: Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
RB: Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
WR: Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
WR: Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State
TE: Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt
T: Andrew Thomas, Georgia
G: Shane Lemieux, Oregon
C: Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
G: Tommy Kraemer, Notre Dame
T: Walker Little, Stanford
ATH: Rondale Moore, Purdue

First-team defense

DL: A.J. Epenesa, Iowa
DL: Derrick Brown, Auburn
DL: Kenny Willekes, Michigan State
DL: Chase Young, Ohio State
LB: Dylan Moses, Alabama
LB: Paddy Fisher, Northwestern
LB: Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
CB: CJ Henderson, Florida
CB: Bryce Hall, Virginia
CB: Andre Cisco, Syracuse
S: Grant Delpit, S, LSU

First-team specialists

K: Andre Szmyt, Syracuse
P: Braden Mann, Texas A&M
RET: Isaiah Wright, Temple

Second-team offense

QB: Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
RB: D’Andre Swift, Georgia
RB: J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
WR: CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
WR: Justyn Ross, Clemson
TE: Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri
T: Mekhi Becton, Louisville
T: Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
C: Nick Harris, Washington
G: Logan Stenberg, Kentucky
G: Ben Bredeson, Michigan
ATH: Tra Minter, South Alabama

Second-team defense

DL: Raekwon Davis, Alabama
DL: Nick Coe, Auburn
DL: Xavier Thomas, Clemson
DL: Curtis Weaver, Boise State
LB: Shaquille Quarterman, Miami
LB: Joe Bachie, Michigan State
LB: Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
CB: Lavert Hill, Michigan
CB: Jaylon Johnson, Utah
S: Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame
S: Xavier McKinney, Alabama

Second-team specialists

K: Cooper Rothe, Wyoming
P: Ryan Stonehouse, Colorado State
RET: Savon Scarver, Utah State

 

[TUSKtimes]

Didn't we just have an AL.com article on what has happened to talent at the ILBer position? Now Dylan Moses is projected as a first-team All-American. This time last year both Moses and Wilson were on the Butkus list. This spring I saw Moody and Shane Lee making big plays and have heard glowing reviews about Christian Harris. Moody looks like a fort all by himself. Brandon Kahoe has everything but weight. But haven't we been asking our ILBers to slim down and get their speed up the last few years? Looks like if McMillion keeps his job he's going to have to bring it every game. What I still don't see is a talent problem.

The last year was the least productive defense we put on the field since 2007. It wasn't discussed in the article, but defensive coaches have been replaced and I'm more than happy to concede that when player weakness show up they can sometimes be seen on other parts of our team. Having Jennings and Miller on the edges and Buggs, Williams, Davis on the line still doesn't feel like a problem, but who knows? Then there was the defensive schemes and getting communication to the players all season that seemed to be an issue, especially against spread like teams. We had better get this fixed folks because in this brave new world of college football we are running packages far more than base.

More than anything else, the middle of our defense needs to have been fixed and we need to get back to more of an attacking style.