Offense

Cumulative GPA:

With almost the entire starting offense returning, the pressure was on to recreate last year’s efficiency and talent. However, with the loss of two starting offensive linemen, the running game wasn’t nearly as effective as last year. Junior wide receiver Julio Jones stepped up big to produce high offensive numbers and breaking season records. In most games, the offense was able to score enough points to win. The biggest issue was whether or not a majority of the points came in the first half or the second. Overall, it was a successful season for the offense, but it wasn’t as dominant as people expected.

Defense

Cumulative GPA:

This year’s defense was almost entirely reconstructed after the Tide lost almost all of its defensive starters from last year. As the season progressed, the defense was able to mature, sometimes in the middle of the games themselves. This defense, young though it is, still leads the Southeastern Conference in points per game allowed, even after allowing Auburn four touchdowns. Though this defense wasn’t as successful as last year, it still exhibited an impressive performance, and these young guys show promise for the future.

Special Teams

Cumulative GPA:

With an entirely new set of kickers, special teams were also in question coming into this season. There weren’t any moments of the season that the Tide needed a field goal to clinch a win, so special teams was never really tested with that pressure. But, there were a decent number of field goals missed by both kickers. They need to be more consistent. The coverage for both kick off and punts was much better this year, which helped flip field position when necessary. This trio of kickers will be with the Tide for a while, so they have the time to improve and be more reliable.

Coaching

Cumulative GPA:

This season obviously wasn’t perfect, but as far as the coaching staff goes, all the coaches did a pretty good job getting their players ready for the games. The three losses weren’t all attributed to poor coaching; not many schools in this conference will likely out-coach Alabama. One thing to consider though is that this team never played well for a full 60 minutes. Head coach Nick Saban addressed that several times, but it continued to be a problem. It’s something the coaches need to evaluate in the offseason to see how that problem can be fixed.