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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- I got a different perspective on the Crimson Tide after having the opportunity to serve as a "media coach" in Alabama's spring game last weekend. The most intriguing issue with the team is who Lane Kiffin's new QB will be. I'd figured touted FSU transfer Jacob Coker would become The Guy this time around after losing out to Blake Sims in 2014. Coker might win the job, but there are still some questions about how well he sees the defense and his on-field decision-making.
A QB with a big arm and great size, like Coker, can be impressive in drills, but those other kinds of things are pivotal for a college QB and they're harder to get a sense of unless he's in the middle of the action under duress. From what I've heard things are pretty wide open.
Redshirt freshman David Cornwell, as I wrote in the All-Access piece, has matured since his days as a blue-chip recruit. He's doesn't seem to get rattled and he, too, has a terrific arm to make big throws downfield.
Texan Alec Morris also is a factor because he's very smart and folks think he could manage the game well.
Other takeaways from Tuscaloosa
* Derrick Henry looks huge in person. At a chiseled 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, he's quite a sight to see. He should be the Thunder to Kenyan Drake's Lightning in a very dangerous backfield if these two can stay healthy. I'll be honest, I knew Drake was a talented back, but after talking to people inside the program I didn't realize just how dynamic he is.
Derrick Henry should be a star for the Tide in 2015.
I was at the Ole Miss game in early October where he suffered a gruesome broken leg. (He had six TDs in four games before that injury). The 6-1, 210-pounder is bigger than you think and should be a good weapon for Kiffin.
* Word inside the program is that rangy tight end O.J. Howard should have a breakout season as a receiver. Howard wasn't much of a factor in the passing game in 2014. Expect that to change this fall. The Tide wideouts are athletic. Both Robert Foster and ArDarius Stewart have good size and finished spring with a bang. The one to watch, though, will be incoming freshman Calvin Ridley. Don't be surprised if he makes a big impact this fall.
* The O-line will be much, much better than it was last season. Huge JC transfer Dominic Jackson, a 6-6, 315-pound powerhouse, has good feet and great strength and is a big upgrade at the position. Cam Robinson will be better with a year of seasoning. Also remember the name Ross Pierschbacher, a rugged 6-3, 300-pound freshman from Iowa.
A'Shawn Robinson is an imposing man.
* Led by budding star A'Shawn Robinson, the Tide should have the biggest and best front seven in college football this year. The 6-4, 316-pound Robinson has a great first step, awesome power and long arms and is primed for a dominant 2015, I'm told. He's got a better sense of things now that he's had two seasons in Saban's system.
Scarier still is the level of talent around him. Jarran Reed's an athletic 315-pound senior while junior Dalvin Tomlinson is a 295-pound former prep wrestling champ who can be unblockable. Former top-five recruit Da'Shawn Hand, up to 275 pounds, is living up to his hype while 310-pound freshman O.J. Smith is athletic and relentless and will be a force before too long.
Behind them at linebacker, it's almost as strong a group. Reggie Ragland, a 255-pound senior, is terrific. Reuben Foster, a 240-pound junior, has a lot of talent but just needs more consistency. Rangy Tim Williams has the potential to be a ferocious pass rusher. He's another one to keep an eye on this fall.
* The secondary, as it has been the past couple of seasons, is the question mark for Bama's D. Lots of these young defenders are emerging, though. Tony Brown and Marlon Humphrey were five-star CB recruits a year ago. Brown, at 6-0, 190, has blazing speed and is physical. He's still a bit raw while Humphrey, a 6-1 redshirt, should help a bunch this year. Another youngster to remember is 6-3, 220-pound freshman Ronnie Harrison from Tallahassee. He could be special.
Bruce Feldman is a senior college football reporter and columnist for FOXSports.com and FOX Sports 1. He is also a New York Times Bestselling author. His new book, The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks, came out in October 2014. Follow him on Twitter @BruceFeldmanCFB.
