5 young players who could impact the Sugar Bowl for Alabama
Alabama’s Allstate Sugar Bowl matchup with Kansas State is still a little over three weeks away but there are still several interesting notes to dissect when looking at the contest.
The mass exodus that Alabama has had via the transfer portal has opened up several opportunities for younger players to make an impact for the Crimson Tide when New Year’s Eve arrives.
But the portal is not the only thing we should be thinking about. It is more likely than not that Alabama will experience at least a few opt-outs from some of its upperclassmen who are expected to be high draft picks come April 2023.
Team leaders such as Bryce Young and Will Anderson are expected to skip out on New Orleans and begin preparing to become most likely top-five picks. There is also a chance that they are not the only two.
Now, when putting together this list, we are merely working off hypothetical scenarios since none of the starters have yet to make an announcement of their intentions for the Sugar Bowl. I am also going to do my best to include players that have not really made that much of an impact to this point.
Nevertheless, here are some young players that could be given an opportunity to make an impact against the Wildcats.
Kristian Story-DB
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
[autotag]Kristian Story[/autotag] isn’t really a young player anymore. The junior defensive back is a guy who has held a backup role behind Jordan Battle and DeMarcco Hellams at the safety positions for a couple of seasons and if either of those chooses not to participate we could see Story getting the start.
Jeremiah Alexander-OLB
Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
With Will Anderson likely opting out, Alabama will likely move the outside linebackers around a little bit to see who fits where the best. We know that [autotag]Dallas Turner[/autotag] will hold down one side and [autotag]Chris Braswell[/autotag] will likely be opposite of Turner in the starting lineup. But the name to watch is freshman [autotag]Jeremiah Alexander[/autotag]. Alexander was a five-star prospect and early enrollee and someone the coaches staff really likes. He could be Alabama’s next great EDGE defender.
Jamarion Miller-RB
Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
A lot of mock drafts have Alabama starting running back [autotag]Jahmyr Gibbs[/autotag] being selected in the first round so it is possible that the talented junior skips out on the bowl game. Trey Sanders is now in the portal so that would put just Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams ahead of freshman Jamarion Miller. Miller has shown flashes during his time in mop-up duty but it would be interesting to see how he would perform in primetime.
Amari Niblack-TE
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
I am not really expecting [autotag]Cameron Latu[/autotag] to opt-out of the Sugar Bowl but that doesn’t mean a young guy like Amari Niblack couldn’t see an increase in his playing time. Niblack is a versatile pass catcher who could create some mismatches in the red zone.
Jalen Milroe/Ty Simpson-QB
AP Photo/Vasha Hunt
If Bryce Young does indeed opt out, this might be the biggest headline in college football outside of the playoff. While I would expect [autotag]Jalen Milroe[/autotag] to receive the nod, do not count out freshman [autotag]Ty Simpson[/autotag]. This is likely a prequel to next season’s quarterback battle in Tuscaloosa.
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