Alabama Football: Five players to watch vs. MTSU

Alabama is opening up its 2023 season with a home game this Saturday night against Middle Tennessee State. This contest will mark the first opportunity for the Crimson Tide to get back on a live-game field since beating Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl back on New Year’s Eve.

According to VegasInsider, Alabama is currently a 39.5-point favorite over the Blue Raiders. Now, we all know games are won and lost based on betting lines, but this is something to note as Saturday approaches. If the game plays out the way Vegas is predicting, we could see more than just the starters and key backups.

Either way, here are five Alabama players you should be monitoring this weekend.

No. 1 – QB Jalen Milroe

Jalen Milroe (Courtesy of Alabama Athletics)

Really, this spot could’ve gone to a number of different quarterbacks. They’re all intriguing and could get playing time on Saturday, but Milroe is the best bet to take the first snap against MTSU. If that does happen, it’ll be his first start since the Texas A&M game last season when he turned it over three times in a narrow 24-20 victory.

This is his chance to show growth though.

In 2022, Milroe played in all three of Alabama’s games against non-Power Five opponents. Granted, all of those were in mop-up duty, but he made at least one ill-advised throw that was intercepted in two of those contests. Now, he’s the likely starter, so he needs to show that he can avoid unnecessary turnovers.

The current offensive identity better suits his strengths than the one we saw last year. From everything that we know, this year will be centered around a downhill, power rushing attack. Milroe’s dynamic rushing fits into that perfectly, but Alabama will also need its quarterback to capitalize on opportunities that are presented in the passing game as a result of the ground success.

Can Milroe handle that side of things?

We’ll know a lot more come Saturday, but I expect that he’ll be substantially better at it than he was a season ago. It’ll also be interesting to see how Simpson does in his first true action. He played some last year, but it was also in mop-up duty where he was just being asked to hand the football off (only five pass attempts).

Some guys are just gamers. Maybe Simpson is one of those guys.

No. 2 – DB Caleb Downs

Caleb Downs (Courtesy of Alabama Athletics)

It’s hard to imagine a freshman getting more offseason hype than Downs. From the moment he committed to Alabama over a year ago, people have thought that he’d be an immediate contributor for the Crimson Tide. That belief has only strengthened as we’ve gotten closer to the start of the 2023 season.

Fans have seen Downs in an A-Day type of setting. They’ve also gotten to see him work during the Crimson Tide’s Fan Day practice earlier this month. Now, they’re going to get a chance to see him play in a live game against another opponent. He’ll be going against a new Blue Raiders quarterback too in Nick Vattiato.

Can the five-star freshman get his first-career turnover on Saturday? Count BOL Senior Analyst Travis Reier as one who believes in the possibility. I’m right there with him, too.

Granted, I’m also assuming Middle Tennessee takes a quick, safe approach to its passing attack similar to what we saw from Utah State in last year’s opener. But if Alabama’s pass rush can apply steady pressure on Vattiato, there’s a decent possibility Downs gets his first takeaway in a Crimson uniform. His impact will far exceed any turnovers though.

This is one of the most exciting freshman that we’ve seen in recent years.

No. 3 – WR Malik Benson

Malik Benson (Courtesy of Alabama Athletics)

Benson isn’t a freshman, but he’s new to Tuscaloosa. With Alabama being a 39.5-point favorite, it’s a strong possibility that we’ll see the offense and defense work into its depth a little bit on Saturday. So it doesn’t really matter if Benson is a starter or a rotational piece, we will see plenty of him against the Blue Raiders.

I’m excited to see what he can do in a live game, too.

We know he’s got tremendous playmaking ability. He just hasn’t had much of an opportunity — at least from what we’ve been able to see on A-Day and Fan Day — to showcase that ability. I won’t be shocked if Alabama tries to keep as much of the offense under wraps for Texas, but the Crimson Tide are also trying to win a game here.

It could also be beneficial to put some things on tape to force more extensive preparations on the Longhorns. Maybe that includes a vertical passing game that complements what we expect to be a quality ground attack. If that is something Alabama wants to do in its opener, Benson is one of several intriguing options who can benefit from that approach.

Do you remember when Jameson Williams put himself on the map (4 catches for 146 yards and a score) in the season opener against Miami? Obviously, the circumstances are vastly different here as far as opponent, quarterback and other options on the roster. But Jamo had similar outlook as Benson heading into the 2021 season.

First off, he was a transfer who had experience.

The big difference was that Benson’s experience came on the JUCO level while Jamo played for one of the top programs in the country (Ohio State). We knew he’d be in Alabama’s rotation, but we really weren’t sure if he’d start. Then, we started hearing about him getting significant action with the first-team offense in fall camp.

To be fair, Jamo had generated buzz with how he was performing leading up to the opener. Between that and his readiness coming from Ohio State, it makes this situation different, but he put everyone in the college football world on notice in that Miami game. That type of statement from Benson wouldn’t be as effective against MTSU, but it’s an opportunity to generate some level of excitement.

No. 4 – OL Kadyn Proctor

Kadyn Proctor (Courtesy of Alabama Athletics)

With the way things are trending, Proctor is set to become the first freshman starter at left tackle since Cam Robinson in 2014. Robinson turned out to have a pretty good career, too. Really, the entire offensive line is worth keeping an eye on in this game after all the offseason buzz, but Proctor is most intriguing because he’s the biggest unknown.

At 6-foot-7, 355 pounds, he do know that he’s big. Alabama coach Nick Saban pointed out as much during a recent press conference.

“He’s shown me, he’s big,” Saban responded when asked what Proctor has shown him in fall camp. “And he’s made a lot of progress. He’s improved a lot. He’s got a lot of ability, and there’s things he needs to continue to work on. Obviously, experience is gonna help him. And when you get experience, it’s a culmination of how do you learn from your mistakes.

“That’s what experience is. So, he’s been pretty good about that. I think [Tyler] Booker playing next to him at left guard has helped him a lot. Because it puts a veteran player next to him who gives him a little bit of security making calls and that type of thing. So, that’s been a good thing for us.”

Alabama’s offensive line has a chance to be one of the best in the country. We know Booker and JC Latham will be two of the top guys at their respective positions. We know Seth McLaughlin and Darrian Dalcourt bring respectable play and ample experience. The only question is whether or not the offense can get effective play out of left tackle. If it can, the sky is the limit.

We’re excited to see Downs. We’re excited to see freshman running back Justin Haynes, too. But of all the first-year players on this Alabama roster, Proctor’s performance in 2023 figures to go a long way in determining the Crimson Tide’s success, whether that be from an offensive or team perspective. Saturday could make for a good start.

No. 5 – TE Amari Niblack

Amari Niblack (Courtesy of Alabama Athletics)

Alabama could use up to four tight ends this season.

We know Maryland transfer CJ Dippre is going to be in the mix. You also have Danny Lewis and Robbie Ouzts as options. Then, there’s Niblack, a hybrid player who could be a crucial piece to the passing game. Don’t get me wrong, all these guys are capable pass-catchers, but at 6-4, 233 pounds, Niblack brings the most mismatch ability.

The Blue Raiders have a really good safety in fifth-year senior Tra Fluellen.

He led his team in tackles (104) in 2022 to go with 4.0 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and 8 pass breakups. That success is a major reason why he was recently named to watch lists such as the Bronko Nagurski and Jim Thorpe Award. At 6-2, 210 pounds, he brings some size to the secondary, which means he can play a role in trying to cover Niblack.

That makes this an intriguing matchup to watch on Saturday.

With so much rotation expected at tight end for Alabama, I’m not sure what Niblack’s snap or target shares will look like this season. That might limit his opportunities in the passing game, but he’s a guy worth keeping an eye on, especially in the red zone. With the offense lacking size at wide receiver, the Clearwater (Fla.) Lakewood product could play a bigger role than some realize.

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