At QB, Bama did VERY well getting Barnes, who played in the Army All-Star game a few weeks ago... and even more importantly, we got Mr. Football of Mississippi, Jimmy Johns who might be the best of the two. He is a little more mobile than Barnes and has good accuracy. But lining up behind Brodie Croyle at 2nd string will be signee and current student, John Parker Wilson, also known as JP. None of them have ever played a college snap, so they better get ready this season. Brodie has yet to finish a season unscathed, and his Senior season probably won't be any different unless he has had artificial arms, legs, neck, back, butt, and rib surgery to have it all replaced. Get the picture?? Both his knees are shot, but there's plenty more to break..... so bottom line is that we might have to win on the arms of a freshman this year - EEEK! We saw what happened last year when we had to rely on two sophomores... I guess the biggest difference will be that these incoming QB's have more RAW/NATURAL talent than Pennington and Guillon. Just my opinion, of course, but I believe that's the case. Pennington has left the team, so that leaves our new guys to carry the load should Brodie go down. Guillon might be in the mix of course, but heck, at that point, I'd rather just see the freshmen in there - getting game experience for the following year. So we look good here talent-wise, but who knows how that talent will pan out this year or next...

At RB/FB, Darby 'should' be the feature tailback if the offseason goes well with rehab. Only time will tell. Should he not be able to go, Aaron Johns will probably have to battle it out with Roy Upchurch or possibly Mike Ford. I say possibly because Mike Ford has still not qualified yet. Plus, Roy was the RB our coaches really wanted, so look for Upchurch to DEFINITELY get carries this fall if he doesn't eventually start. This guy is for real and has good speed and the ability to make people miss... like Darby. It's very possible that should Ford not get into Bama, Ali Sharrief or Glen Coffee could get some playing time. One will likely redshirt IMO. But look for Upchurch to make a big splash at the University of Alabama. The only other guy to work in the rotation is Tim Castille, who was our 2nd/3rd TB this season behind Hudson and Darby. He may or may not play this fall due to his injury last season. He definitely won't be playing in the spring, but may take part in some non-contact drills. Overall, one of the best RB classes in the country. We got our men - and they'll definitely get to show their stuff come this fall.

At WR, Bama didn't do much because we had gotten so much talent at this position last year. We're set at WR for a while though Shula will probably want to get about 3 more next season. Our 2 pickups were Nick Kyles and Desmond Jennings... Kyles is the more prolific WR of the two. One or both of these guys may sit out next season as redshirts since we have an overabundance at this position. Kyles might get some work though, if he really impresses the coaches. We only lose A.C. Carter who didn't play any significant time last year, so this group looks good with the return of Prothro, Brown, Hall, and Stamps. Will Oakley will finally get into the rotation after sitting out a redshirt season. Coaches are hopeful that All-Star Nikita Stover (from last year's recruiting class) will be ok to sign next season. He was a 5-star prospect last year and would really give the Tide a huge boost in an already strong WR position. This will be a strength on the team - and good thing since 1) this is Brodie's last season, and 2) our RB's probably won't be able to carry the load in 2005 with lots of inexperience (besides Darby) and big holes in the OL we'll have to fill. Look for big numbers here as Brodie tries to light up the scoreboard for Bama...

At TE, Bama didn't get Tommy Trott like we wanted, but we did get 2 great players in Chris Hoke and Travis McCall who also played DE in H.S. With Clint Johnston leaving the team due to numerous concussions and David Cavan leaving due to graduation, this will be a hard position to recover from. There's a possibility that McLain will get some snaps here, but I'm not sure of his status at this time. Look for Davidson to get the first look, then possibly Nick Walker who redshirted last season. Only Davidson has college experience and he didn't do much in that time frame, so we may or may not throw to the TEs. If these guys can catch, it'll be a huge plus - if not, that will definitely hurt this offense. So many good yards were made on bootlegs that were thrown to the TE, Johnston in particular, and that was a huge plus for our offense. Johnston was a great pass-catcher so he will be sorely missed. Look for Shula to go after a couple more TE's next year until we can get a very good pass-catching TE in the gameplan.

At OL, Bama did ok. We didn't get much in terms of raw talent at this position, but the coaches are high on who they did get. The Tide got Evan Cardwell, Drew Davis (already in school), Marlon Davis, Scott Deaton, Cole Harvey, and Mike Johnson. None of these were high-profile players according to reports, but Marlon Davis was rated the best. Who'll step into the shoes of Britt and Mathis? One might be BJ Stabler from last year's class. Another would be Von Ewing. The OL is always the most complex to put together because some guys pass block better, and some guys run block better. You have to have a guy that can do both obviously. I think Ewing and Stabler will be 2 fixtures on the line with other guys challenging for playing time. It's possible that all the freshmen OL will sit out this season so we can help build up this position in the future. Talent is low here, but with the return of JB Closner and Danny Martz, we might be ok... but it will take a miracle to have the type of running game we've had the last 2 seasons. Like I said before, this could be the year of the pass for Bama - RB and OL are just very young. I just hope the OL can hold off the defense long enough for him to make some decent passes or it could be a long year.

At DL, Bama is stocked to the rim. We lose one guy in Anthony Bryant who wasn't even a starter, and one of the team captains - Todd Bates. Bates will be missed, but returning is up-and-coming star Wallace Gilberry who led the team in sacks (6) last year as a freshman, and then there's everyone else. Rudy Griffin will be a senior and will be a force along with Dominic Lee, Chris Turner, Justin Britt, and Jeremy Clark. We have a good bit of talent here, but no huge numbers except for Gilberry. Last season we spread the wealth quite a bit, so thus the reason no DL guys really shined much as far as the SEC ranks go. But new guys like Lorenzo Washington and Brandon Fanney (basically from last year's class who heldover to this year) could get some serious playing time. Odds are they will because we rotate our guys so much. Look for the DL to be a strength for the Tide this season. The new guys of 2005 could even see some playing time if they can show the coaches they belong on the field - these include Brandon Dederick, Bobby Greenwood, Antonio Forbes, and Byron Walton. Of these, probably only Dederick and Greenwood have a chance at playing in 2005.

At LB, we have THE best at this position in the SEC - period. With the SMART decision of Roach to stay for his senior season, he will join Ryans, Waldrop, King, Nance, and Jones as returnees. We have a very solid group here though we lost Wortham, but Shula knows we really need some more raw talent at this position. Last year, we only signed Dawson at LB, and this season, we only signed Prince Hall, Baron Huber, and Zach Schreiber, where none were high-profile LB's. We need 2-3 really good LBs next recruiting season because we're about to lose some serious talent at LB in the next year or two. Look for a strong starting group with quality backups... but we have just few enough where an injury or two will really hurt us. Look for Bama to redshirt all newly signed LBs this season to save for the future.

At CB/FS/SS, Bama cleaned up - plain and simple. Last season, we picked up Castille who played this year as a true freshman, and also picked up Marcus Carter, who de-commited from Auburn to play for Alabama. Travis Robinson also played last season and will get strong this year. And what many people don't know is that Aaron Johns actually started out and was recruited as a CB, but ended up as RB. This season, Bama picked up one of the VERY BEST 2ndary classes in the country - the big names are Chris Rogers (who wants to break every CB record at Alabama - I like that) and Chris Keys (safety). Others that signed but may get redshirted include Lionel Mitchell, Sam Burnthall, and Cory Reamer. Add these to current starters for the Tide - Peprah, Harper, Robinson, and Madison - and you have a group that should again lead the nation in pass defense. Madison was officially a senior last year, but since he was a partial qualifier when entering Alabama, if he graduates (which he should) in the spring, he's eligible to play for his real 4th and senior season. If that happens, Bama has all starters back in the 2ndary and now has even more talent in our back pocket once these guys leave after the 2005 season. This will be the year of the Tide defense. If you thought last year was good, you haven't seen anything yet, people. In Bama's 2nd year under defensive coordinator Joe Kines, this unit will only get stronger... and being one of the top defenses in the country last year, that should give people a good idea of what to see this year with Bama only losing 2 starts on the defense - Bates and Wortham. Man, it's gonna be brutal, baby!

At P, the only guy to kick the ball other than Bo Freelend was Jeremy Schatz. Looks like he's the man for now... but walk-ons usually fight hard for this position, so we'll see what happens here. But for now, Schatz is our punter unless something crazy happens. Jeff Aul might make it interesting though...

At K, we lose a HUGE, and I mean HUGE in the biggest sense, part of the team... Bostick was the Tide's leading scorer last year with 83 points (Darby was 2nd with 54 if that tells you anything). Replacing him SHOULD be the Tide's biggest concern going into 2005. Last season, he should have been called 'Money' because you could almost bet the farm that he would make the kick. He was 16-19 in FGs and a perfect 35-35 on PATs. He missed 3 kicks all year. No one else even attempted a FG last season, so look for FRESH MEAT at this position. Possible replacements are Alex Fox, Ryan Saxby, Mike McCaughlin, or kickoff specialist (and fan favorite) Jamie Chistianson who should still get kickoff duties this season after booting a ton of kicks into the endzone last season. In addition to these guys, Shula has also got a kicker from Mobile to walkon the team this fall, so it'll be interesting to say the least. I just hope we don't have many games that come down to a last-second FG attempt - talk about holding our breath, right? Kinda like 2003 when Bostick was a junior. :)

As for SPRING BALL, the Tide should have Brodie Croyle back in action wearing the usual no-contact yellow jersey. Can he wear it in games too? Tim Castille will likely miss spring ball except for some light non-contact drills. Darby is probably still questionable and probably won't see much action either in the spring. Aaron Johns will get a lot of reps, and so will John Parker Wilson at QB. Man, talk about a guy who needs lots of reps. It's only a matter of time before he gets in the game, and we need him ready and quick. Brodie only lasts for so long. LOL And I've had lots of questions regarding Brodie getting a medical redshirt. I believe this is an SEC decision, not an NCAA decision - but I could be mistaken. The rule as I read it in the Big East read like this (but the SEC could be different)...

Q: What is a medical redshirt as opposed to a regular redshirt?
A: What's normally referred to as a redshirt is when an eligible player is held out of all competition. It saves them from using up one of their four seasons of competitive eligibility. It's a conscious decision made in combination with the coaching staff and player. A medical hardship waiver, which is commonly referred to as a medical redshirt, is when there is limited competition, but a season-ending injury occurs prior to the 20 percent point of the season. Then, every school has the option to make an appeal to the conference office for a medical hardship waiver to get that year of competitive eligibility back.

Q: How often does the NCAA grant a medical redshirt?
A: Actually, the NCAA does not grant medical hardship waivers, the conferences do. The NCAA office only grants them for independent schools. As long as the documentation is there from medical doctors and the training staff, they're almost always granted.

Q: What have to be the qualifications to receive one?
A: It's just a matter of the athlete meeting the criteria. As long as the injury occurs within the first 20 percent of the season and all of that competition occurs in the first half of the season, the athlete is good. You can not have competed beyond the halfway point of the season. It's 20 percent of the total games. Let's say there are 10 games. You can play in two of those and they have to be two of the first five games. But most teams play 11 games, so you can play in three games and be okay. So you can play in the first game, the fourth and the fifth games and still be eligible to get that year back. The 20 percent deal can be a little confusing because most teams play 11 games and 20 percent of 11 is 2.2. But the NCAA states that anything with a "point" behind it, when dealing with the 20 percent issue, is bumped up. So 2.2 games played becomes three games played. And once you meet the criteria, and you have the medical documentation, it's almost always granted.

So Brodie played 2.5 games last year, so according to these rules, he would be granted a medical redshirt. But the SEC may or may not go by these rules - call the SEC office to find out. If he's done getting hurt, I'd love to have him 2 more years, but if we don't have him that long, I'll enjoy him as long as we can have him. He was tearing it up before getting hurt last year though we did play some inferior competition at the start last year which included Ole Miss.

During spring ball, the coaches will get a very good idea of who they're going to want at the OL positions as well. They'll mix and mingle the guys until they can get a smooth fit up front. That's the hard part. Everywhere else, things look pretty good. Brodie will have plenty of WR's to throw to, and Davidson (TE) will get a ton of work catching the ball I'm sure. Bama's defense will already be one of the best in the country after minimal losses in personnel, so look for the offense to have to go up against the 2nd and 3rd stringers on D in order to move the ball in practice. LOL :) And yeah, I laugh, but I'm half-serious.

Last, in this time frame, coaches will look very hard to replace the P and PK position. Freelend and Bostick were the Tide's 2 biggest losses by far. No offense to Hudson because we had capable backups... but at this point, no one has P/PK experience at this level and we need to find some serious talent quick at these positions.