BamaCentral 22 for '22: Who will be Alabama's Breakout Star this Season?

With so many new and returning faces this year poised to make an impact, the panel breaks down who they believe will stand out the most.

After falling one win short of adding a 19th national title last season, Alabama will look to rebound and take the next step this year. The Crimson Tide returns a loaded roster, including reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young and a rebuilt offense as well as one of the most talented defenses in the Nick Saban era.

Alabama will open its season on Sept. 3 when it hosts Utah State inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. To help pass the time, BamaCentral’s Joey Blackwell, Tony Tsoukalas and Katie Windham will discuss 22 topics and questions concerning the 2022 season.

Today we continue our series by breaking down who we believe will be Alabama's breakout star this season.

Blackwell's take

With so many transfers, fresh faces and others poised to rise up and make an impact at various positions left empty from departing talent, it might be difficult to pick who might be Alabama's biggest breakout star this season.

For Crimson Tide fans, that's definitely a good thing.

Brian Robinson Jr. was a dominant workhorse last season in the running back room. With multiple players behind him suffering injuries that left them sidelined, Robinson had to take the majority of the work out of the offensive backfield and became a key player in Alabama’s offensive success this season. This season, it’s another running back’s turn.

Nearing the end of the 2021 season, it was clear that finding a suitable replacement for Robinson was a top priority for Nick Saban and his staff. Back in December — before the season was even over — Georgia Tech transfer Jahmyr Gibbs announced that he would be moving to Tuscaloosa to join the Crimson Tide.

Playing for the Yellow Jackets for two seasons, Gibbs had made a considerable impact with the program. In 2021, he rushed for a total of 746 on 143 carries — an averaged of 5.2 yards per carry — and scored four touchdowns. As a versatile pass-catching running back, he also totaled 35 receptions for 465 yards and two receiving touchdowns. In yards per catch, he averaged 13.3 yards.

Alabama’s offense certainly returns a lot of top-tier talent at its skill positions this season. At running back, though, look for Gibbs to be a named mentioned often this year.

Tsoukalas' take

Earlier this week, Will Anderson Jr. said he gets chills when thinking about being a part of this year’s Alabama defense. The reigning Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner returns to lead what could be the best unit Nick Saban has ever assembled.

Anderson will be paired with fellow five-star pass rusher Dallas Turner while the Crimson Tide brings back its leading tackler from last season in Henry To’oTo’o at Mike linebacker. Alabama’s secondary is also loaded as it welcomes in five-star LSU transfer Eli Ricks while returning several key pieces in Jordan Battle, Brian Branch, DeMarcco Hellams, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Malachi Moore.

With so much established talent, it’s a bit difficult to pick out someone who has yet to break onto the scene.

For me, the area to watch is up front where Alabama will look to replace the interior pass rush provided by departing defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis. The defensive tackle position has been a popular breakout spot for Alabama in recent years as Mathis, Christian Barmore and Quinnen Williams all rose from relatively unknown status into key members of the defense.

This year, Jamil Burroughs appears poised to take on a similar trajectory. The 6-foot-3, 309-pound junior played in just three games last season, recording a pair of tackles including his first career sack. However, he capped off a solid spring camp with a standout performance during the A-Day game where he recorded a pair of sacks for the first-team defense.

Alabama’s defensive line returns three seniors with starting experience in D.J. Dale, Byron Young and Justin Eboigbe. Still, no one in that trio provides quite the same interior presence as Burroughs. Don’t be surprised if the junior carves out a significant role while becoming one of the notable names in Alabama’s star-studded defense this fall. 

Windham's take

With Alabama’s top three receivers from a season ago off to the NFL, the receiving corps is looking for someone to break out. While all eyes will be on transfers Jermaine Burton and Tyler Harrell, there’s one returner I think can have a big year for the Crimson Tide.

JoJo Earle flashed his potential during his true freshman season before being temporarily sidelined with a lower body injury he suffered on a punt return against New Mexico State. Even though he wasn’t the highest rated coming out of high school behind Ja’Corey Brooks and Agiye Hall, Earle was the first in the group of talented freshmen receivers to consistently find time in the offensive rotation. He was one of Bryce Young’s favorite targets early on with 10 catches for 128 yards in the first three games.

While his production on offense disappeared some in the middle of the season, he was Alabama’s most dynamic punt returner when he was healthy. Earle had 15 returns for 88 yards, splitting time at the position with Slade Bolden. After the hot start, he finished the year with just two catches for 20 yards over the final 12 games.

Entering his sophomore season, I think Earle steps into a bigger role on offensive as one of the few familiar targets returning for Young. If he can continue to grow in confidence at the position, his speed and elusiveness as a punt returner can provide Earle another spot to contribute and give the Crimson Tide a special teams weapon.

Previous Questions

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