Less than two months from the start of the 2024 season and debate over how Alabama football will fare in Nick Saban’s absence is heating up. All the major preview magazines have hit the shelves of bookstores, including Phil Steele’s yearly college football book.
Like competitors Athlon Sports and Lindy’s, Steele projected a solid showing from the Crimson Tide in Kalen DeBoer’s first season as head coach. However, like those magazines, he also did not predict an appearance in the SEC championship game.
Steele put UA at No. 3 in the SEC, behind Georgia and Texas. However, he pointed out in his write-up that the Tide will remain a title contender, both for the conference and the College Football Playoff, in his opinion.
Georgia and Texas weren’t the only schools Steele placed ahead of Alabama in his preseason top 40. The Crimson Tide was projected at No. 7, with the Bulldogs ranked No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Penn State and Notre Dame.
Offensively, Steele wrote that he would expect the Crimson Tide to surpass its numbers from the 2023 season, pointing out the return of Jalen Milroe and the team’s talent at skill positions. He called for another strong year defensively, saying UA projects as the No. 7 defense in the nation.
Alabama had plenty of players show up in Steele’s four-deep all-SEC preseason teams. Center Parker Brailsford, offensive guard Tyler Booker, linebacker Deontae Lawson and kicker Graham Nicholson all showed up on his first team.
On the second team, Milroe got the nod, along with defensive tackle Tim Smith, defensive back Malachi Moore and kick returner Kendrick Law. Running back Justice Haynes, cornerback Domani Jackson and punter James Burnip all made the third team.
Steele’s fourth team included offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor.
Alabama had one player on Steele’s first all-American team, in Nicholson, who transferred into from Miami of Ohio to fill the void left by Will Reichard. Milroe, Booker and Lawson got the nod for second-team all-All American, while Moore made the fourth-team.
Alabama opens the DeBoer era at home against Western Kentucky on Aug. 31. The Tide will kick off talking season at SEC Media Days next week in Dallas, taking its turn in the spotlight on July 17.
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