Does Alabama Football Still have a Snap Issue?
Seth McGlaughlin is gone, and so is Nick Saban. A big changing of the guard both at the controls of the offensive line as well as head coach left a big question mark for the center-quarterback exchanged which seemed to plague the Crimson Tide for the entire 2023 season. In this article, I dive into how the center-quarterback exchanged looked in the spring game, and what the Tide should expect in 2024.
Seth McGlaughlin. Not to pick on the player, but he is a name that Alabama Crimson Tide fans are all to familiar with and left many cringing throughout the 2023 season, and still does.
While McGlaughlin was a team player, the bad snaps to quarterback Jalen Milroe were transparent all season long in 2023.
It seemed like every other play Milroe was having to pick the ball up off of the ground. And even when he did not have to, you could tell that the snap was not totally on target, causing Milroe to have to pause and adjust. These adjustments disrupt the cadence of the play as a whole. So to the casual fan where this may seem like nothing, it is actually everything.
As these snaps persisted during the national semifinal Rose Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines in 2023, one can argue that it was a big reason the Crimson Tide ended up falling to the Wolverines in overtime 27-20.
In their previous two contests in 2012 and 2019, the Crimson Tide did not have snap issues in either contest and went 2-0, outscoring the Wolverines by a combined 76-30. And yes, Nick Saban was the head coach in Tuscaloosa as he was in 2023.
With the retirement of Saban before the 2024 season and the transfer of McGlaughlin, the Tide seemed to have very little issues with the snap of center, James Brockermeyer who has been a backup with the Tide since he arrived on campus in 2021. This should be music to fans ears in Tuscaloosa. And it showed on the field.
With Washington Huskies transfer center Parker Brailsford following new Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer over from Washington, the presumed starter at the position was Brailsford.
Well, that has taken a turn as Brockermeyer appears to have put in a lot of work this off season and the offense seemed to be flowing nicely, including the cadence between him and the presumed starter Milroe that was seen throughout the spring game.
What may also help Brockermeyer’s chances at center is that according to Blake Byler with www.si.com , “Brailsford has been absent for much of spring practice.”
Whoever the center is exchanging the ball with Milroe, the position looks to have improved for the Tide. So while not may seem like a big deal, with four and five star talent surrounding the center-quarterback tandem, watch out for the Tide in 2024.