Five Players That Were Essential in Alabama's Return to the CFP
Alabama football is back in the College Football Playoff for the eighth time in 10 years. Nick Saban has once again worked his coaching magic, perhaps doing his best job this season.
"They're truly a team," Saban said after Alabama's SEC Championship victory. "Everybody's together. Everybody trusts and respects the principles and values of the organization and program and buy into them. They're all responsible for their own self-determination, which means they can go do their job."'
The No. 4 Crimson Tide (12-1) will face No. 1 Michigan (13-0) in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
While it has been a team effort and there are probably a dozen or more that could be highlighted, here are five of the key players that helped the 2023 Crimson Tide get back into position for another CFP run:
Jalen Milroe
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) looks to pass against the Auburn Tigers during the second quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
John David Mercer / USA Today Sports
Let's go ahead and get the most obvious one out of the way. Even though football is a team sport, a lot of a team's success starts and ends with the performance of the quarterback. And it was no different for Alabama with Milroe this year. His transformation from the beginning of the season to the end has been nothing short of remarkable.
Milroe's improvement is the main reason that Alabama has the opportunity to compete for a national title.
"The transformation of Jalen Milroe at quarterback, to be productive, has been huge in terms of elevating the confidence of the entire offensive team," Saban said.
His struggles against Texas and subsequent benching the following week at USF have been well documented. But his growth as a quarterback and a leader played a major in Alabama reeling off 11 straight wins, culminating in the SEC title over then No. 1 Georgia.
Milroe threw two interceptions against the Longhorns in the week-two loss, and then combined to throw just four total in his remaining nine starts. His in-game decision making improved as the season went on as well as his on-field performance.
The Alabama quarterback has over 2700 yards passing, nearly 500 yards rushing and 35 total touchdowns. Starting with the LSU game, Milroe started utilizing his legs more and continued to add that element to his game, making it even more difficult for opponents to try to figure out how to defend the Crimson Tide.
In Alabama's biggest moments, he had the composure under pressure when his team needed him most at the end of the Iron Bowl and SEC Championship Game.
Isaiah Bond
Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Isaiah Bond (17) celebrates after making a catch in the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Brett Davis / USA Today Sports
Speaking of those pressure-packed moments, the player on the receiving end of those clutch passes was Isaiah Bond.
The sophomore wide receiver had the game-winning catch at Auburn on fourth-and-goal from the 31 as well as all four receptions on the Tide's final touchdown drive against Georgia after the Bulldogs had cut the Alabama lead to three points. Earlier in the game, he made a difficult catch on a crucial fourth-down conversion.
One play doesn't make or break a season, but if Bond doesn't make that touchdown catch in the Iron Bowl, or come up big against Georgia, Alabama would not be back in the playoffs.
"He's been great all year," Saban said about Bond. "I think the one word that I would say is he's very consistent in practice as well as the game. If you're a quarterback, you want to be able to trust your guys, that they're going to run the right route at the right depth at the right time and show up at the right place. He does a great job of that. He's got great speed, so that's always helpful."
Bond has become Milroe's favorite target, leading the team with 44 receptions. He's second in yards (621) and touchdowns (4), only trailing Jermaine Burton.
Terrion Arnold
Terrion Arnold at Auburn
UA Athletics
L.A.N.K. (Let All Naysayers Know) has been Alabama's motto all season, and one of the originators alongside Milroe was Arnold. He has done just that this season and surged up NFL draft board into likely a first-round spot because of his play in the Crimson Tide secondary this season.
He leads Alabama with five interceptions, including the game-sealing one in the Iron Bowl and a game-changing pick against LSU's Jayden Daniels, who will likely win the Heisman trophy this weekend. After Arnold intercepted Daniels, Alabama was able to build a two-touchdown lead that they held for the rest of the game to grab the important win over the Tigers and re-establish dominance in the SEC West.
Arnold has been versatile for Saban in the secondary, moving around to different positions when needed because of injuries. He's also consistently been a strong tackler, even in run defense and is currently tied for third on the team with 61 tackles.
Will Reichard
Will Reichard in the season opener against Middle Tennessee
Alabama Athletics
It's only fair that special teams gets some love, especially for someone who has cemented his name not just in Alabama program history, but in college football record books. With his first-quarter field goal in the SEC Championship Game, Reichard became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer.
"I don't know if anyone's had a more productive career relative to what their role is, what their job is, what they're supposed to in terms of his consistency his performance and the way he's improved," Saban said earlier this season. "His mindset, his leadership and how he affects the other specialists on this team, and how he's helped them grow and develop. Will's been a great asset to this organization for a long time and done his job about as well as anyone can expect somebody to to do it."
When Alabama's offense was struggling at the beginning of the season and still figuring things out, Reichard was as good as automatic to pick up the load. He made his first 15 field-goal attempts of the season before missing two against LSU. Overall, he is 20-of-23 on field goals and a perfect 53 for 53 on extra points, which has earned him the recognition of a Lou Groza finalist.
Jihaad Campbell
Oct 21, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Jihaad Campbell (30) picks up a fumble and ran it back for a touchdown against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
© John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
The sophomore linebacker was responsible for two of Alabama's biggest moments of the season. First, his 24-yard scoop-and-score against Tennessee all but sealed the win for the Crimson Tide, building up a two-score lead late in the fourth quarter.
Fourth-and-31 wouldn't have even been possible with Campbell. He jumped on the muffed punt by Auburn to set up Alabama's final game-winning drive in the Iron Bowl. And then Campbell was
Despite not even playing in the season opener and coming off the bench for the majority of the season at inside linebacker, Campbell is second on the team with 65 tackles.
