5 reasons why Alabama will field a record-breaking offense under Kalen DeBoer
Alabama‘s offense struggled throughout most of the 2023 season, but that’s expected to change under new head coach Kalen DeBoer. Below, we dive into several reasons why fans should be excited about this offense’s potential in 2024. This unit has a chance to put up record-breaking numbers through a series of factors, starting with DeBoer himself.
Innovative offensive mind + QB developer
If you’re going to have success on offense — or either side if the ball, for that matter — you need to have an innovative mind in the room who has a heavy input on game planning. That can either come from a coordinator, head coach or both. Alabama might not have a proven commodity (yet) in that area when it comes to the offensive coordinator, but head coach Kalen DeBoer is one of the most innovative offensive minds in college football.
Not only that, but he has a good track record of developing quarterbacks. Just look at the improved numbers from the various signal-callers he’s coached — whether it be as the offensive coordinator or head coach — over the last seven years.
Marcus McMaryion, Fresno State (2017-18)
*Note: These numbers are from Year 1 to Year 2 under DeBoer.
Attempts – 2017 (351) / 2018 (427)
Passing yards – 2017 (2,726) / 2018 (3,629)
Completion % – 2017 (62.1%) / 2018 (68.6%)
Yards per attempt – 2017 (7.8) / 2018 (8.5)
Passing touchdowns – 2017 (14) / 2018 (25)
Interceptions – 2017 (5) / 2018 (5)
Peyton Ramsey/Michael Penix, Indiana (2018-19)
*Note: These are numbers from before and after DeBoer’s arrival.
Attempts – 2018 (481) / 2019 (460)
Passing yards – 2018 (3,094) / 2019 (3,848)
Completion % – 2018 (6.4) / 2019 (8.4)
Yards per attempt – 2018 (6.4) / 2019 (8.2)
Passing touchdowns – 2018 (20) / 2019 (23)
Interceptions – 2018 (13) / 2019 (9)
Jake Haener, Fresno State (2020-21)
*Note: These numbers are from Year 1 to Year 2 under DeBoer. Also note that they’re on a per game basis due to a shortened COVID season in 2020.
Attempts/game – 2020 (38.7) / 2021 (37.7)
Pass yards/game – 2020 (336.8) / 2021 (315.1)
Completion % – 2020 (64.7%) / 2021 (67.1%)
Yards per attempt – 2020 (8.7) / 2021 (8.4)
Passing touchdowns – 2020 (2.3) / 2021 (2.5)
Interceptions – 2020 (5) / 2021 (9)
Michael Penix, Washington (2022-23)
*Note: These numbers are from Year 1 to Year 2 under DeBoer.
Attempts – 2022 (554) / 2023 (555)
Passing yards – 2022 (4,641) / 2023 (4,903)
Completion % – 2022 (65.3%) / 2023 (65.4%)
Yards per attempt – 2022 (8.4) / 2023 (8.8)
Passing touchdowns – 2022 (31) / 2023 (36)
Interceptions – 2022 (8) / 2023 (11)
As you can see, there was substantial growth from McMaryion, Ramsey and Penix during DeBoer’s time as offensive coordinator at Fresno State and Indiana. You also see growth in some areas from Haener at Fresno State and Penix at Washington, but equally as important, you see consistency where guys maintained a high level of play despite opposing defenses getting tape on that quarterback. It’s never just about the numbers either. Haener and Penix were better players in Year 2 under DeBoer, much in the same way that former Alabama star Bryce Young was a better player in Year 2 despite his numbers dipping from that Heisman campaign in 2021.
DeBoer hasn’t already spent a year with Jalen Milroe, but he is Alabama’s returning starter, which brings us to our next point.
Returning starter at QB
Another reason for Alabama having the makings of an elite offense in 2024… a returning starter at quarterback. Yes, the depth is an impressive as ever with Ty Simpson, Dylan Lonergan and Austin Mack, but we can’t ignore the progress Milroe made over the course of last season. Was he perfect? No, but he was significantly more effective late in the year than he was at the beginning. That improvement came with added experience, and now he gets to team up with one of the best quarterback developers/offensive minds in college football.
There are a couple of things to like about this marriage too.
First, Milroe brings an element to Alabama’s offense that DeBoer hasn’t seen yet — his dynamic legs. Don’t get me wrong, DeBoer has deployed dual-threat options in the past. Penix was more effective as a runner than people realize, McMaryion totaled almost 600 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns in two years as DeBoer’s starter and Ramsey ran for 252 yards and seven scores for Indiana in 2019. With that said, Milroe takes things to another level due to his powerful frame and ability to handle volume. Does that mean he’ll see almost 12.5 carries per game like he did in 2023? Maybe, maybe not. Part of that will be determined by his development as a pure passer, but either way, it’s the threat of his rushing chops that presents a new wrinkle for this coaching staff.
DeBoer’s only had one returning starter at quarterback in his first season at a new job too. Chason Vigil preceded McMaryion in 2016 at Fresno State, Jorge Reyna was the guy before Haener when DeBoer returned to the Bulldogs in 2020 and Dylan Morris was Washington’s starter in 2021 before DeBoer’s arrival. The only exception — or at least on the FBS level — was Ramsey at Indiana, and Penix was actually the team’s starter for half of those games, including the first two of the season. This experience can make the transition a lot easier for both Milroe and DeBoer.
Balance with a complementary run game
I want you to think about some of the most dynamic offenses in the SEC over the last few years. What’s something that has aided those units? The ability to attack defenses in a number of different ways. I’ll use 2021 Tennessee as a perfect example. Yes, you had that innovative offensive design by Josh Heupel, but what else made that group the second-highest scoring offense in the conference? A few things actually, but one was a complementary run game.
Sure, the Vols had a dynamic passing attack with Hendon Hooker leading with way. They finished that season ranked No. 7 in passing yards (4,289), No. 6 in passing touchdowns (38) and No. 2 in yards per pass attempt (10.0). And yet, they only finished No. 52 in pass attempts (422). Why? Well, because that offense was built around balance and efficiency. In a lot of ways, it let defenses pick their own poison. If you got caught taking too many defenders out of the box, UT had the run game to make you pay for it. And if you committed too much to the box, they utilized spacing and a varied passing attack that was difficult to contain. The success in the run game was typically achieved in one of two ways: 1) Hooker’s legs or 2) the combination of Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright at running back.
From a pure numbers standpoint, there wasn’t anything overly threatening about Tennessee’s run game. It finished No. 24 in rushing yards (2,593) and No. 31 in yards per attempt (4.96), but ask anyone who played against them that year and they’ll tell you that run game perfectly complemented a high-octane passing attack. Plus, it had hammers near the goal line that could capitalize in short-yardage situations, which is why they also finished third nationally in rushing touchdowns (40). Ole Miss has brought a similar formula these last couple of years under coach Lane Kiffin, and LSU had some of that in 2023. A lot of the LSU rushing success last season came on the shoulders of Jayden Daniels though as he ran for 1,134 yards and 10 scores.
So what’s the point in saying all of this? Well, Alabama has that complementary formula on paper, whether it be through Milroe as a runner or a dynamic stable of running backs that consists of Jam Miller, Justice Haynes and possibly Richard Young. We know Miller and Haynes will be involved, but when you have a dual-threat option such as Milroe, he sometimes acts as the “third” option in a rushing attack. That’s why I say possibly when referring to young. Either way, this is easily one of the most talented groups of runners in college football. So if they can get a consistent push from the guys upfront, then you’re going to field a strong complementary run game that’s effective and efficient.
Oh, and speaking of consistent push.
Experienced protection upfront
In most cases, your offense can only go as far as your line can take it. You can have all the skill position talent in the world, but someone has to create lanes for your running backs and time for your quarterbacks. At this point, there is some level of concern with Alabama’s offensive line depth. The addition of Geno VanDeMark did a lot to alleviate some of those concerns, but we still need to see how the group comes together this fall. With that said, the top of the depth chart has a chance to be really strong.
With Kadyn Proctor electing to transfer back, Alabama now has three returning starters upfront, including its blindside protector. Proctor likely has a bright future on this level and the next. Plus, Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts should make up the top guard tandem in college football. Throw in the addition of Parker Brailsford (a 15-game starter for DeBoer last season at Washington) at center and right tackle seems to be the only available position. There are several quality candidates for that opening too, including Elijah Pritchett (95 snaps in 2023 while platooning some with Proctor), Wilkin Formby and Miles McVay.
In some ways, DeBoer’s scheme protects the offensive line when needed, but I don’t think this group will need much protection if things come together. This unit won’t feature a bunch of 350-plus-pound linemen like last year, but they’ll still be big, strong and capable of generating some movement in the run game. The key will be the pass protection, but as I said, that’ll be aided at least to some degree by the scheme. With the way DeBoer and company use motion and variation to their advantage, opposing pass rushes seem to have a hard time playing a penetrative style. So keep that in mind.
A deep, versatile group of weapons in the passing game
Alabama’s top three pass-catchers from a season ago are gone. Jermaine Burton is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals after being a third-round selection last month, and Isaiah Bond and Amari Niblack are with Steve Sarkisian at Texas after transferring out following last season. Usually, those type of losses would be a major cause for concern, but the Crimson Tide remain in surprisingly good shape with its offensive weapons.
Kobe Prentice and Kendrick Law were consistent parts of Alabama’s wide receiver rotation in 2023. In fact, Prentice had the highest target-per-snap share on the team. Both are former top-100 recruits too, so there isn’t any concern about their continued development under new position coach JaMarcus Shephard. Transfer Germie Bernard also has plenty of experience after being DeBoer’s fourth receiver at Washington last season. These guys have combined for 1,444 snaps and 14 starts over the past two years.
That’s a great starting point, but there’s plenty of potential to build from there. Emmanuel Henderson still has a lot of ability after being a former top-50 player from the 2022 recruiting cycle, and two five-star freshmen will be available this summer in Ryan Williams and Caleb Odom. Throw in underrated talents such as Cole Adams, Rico Scott and several others, and there’s a lot to look about this room. Probably more than anything, I like the versatility with most of these guys. Not only do you have options who can be moved around to create opportunities, but you’ve also got varying elements (Odom’s size as a mismatch option, for example) that can strain opposing defenses.
DeBoer’s offense features it all too.
You see guys win through size, speed and contested-catch ability (Rome Odunze), but there are opportunities for every style of pass-catcher with the way the system is designed. Receivers such as Bernard, Prentice and Law can blossom in this system and emerge as possible Day 2 (or maybe even Day 1) NFL selections, but just wait until some of the younger guys (Williams and Odom) get going. As a whole, this group is more than capable of capitalizing on all of the opportunities presented by the other factors that we’ve already discussed (strong offensive mind, returning QB, complementary run game, etc.). That’s what makes this offense so intriguing as fall approaches.
There have been some fantastic offenses in Tuscaloosa and elsewhere over the last 5-10 years, but don’t be surprised if this 2024 Alabama group enters that conversation at some point. There are likely to be some growing pains along the way, but see how things are trending once everything clicks.
The post 5 reasons why Alabama will field a record-breaking offense under Kalen DeBoer appeared first on On3.
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