Doug Nussmeier is gone and Lane Kiffin is the new offensive coordinator. The former Raiders/Tennessee/USC head coach will look to speed up the pace and go from more of a pro-style system to a no-huddle, spread system.
Alabama will be forced to replace All-Americans Cyrus Kouandjio and Anthony Steen on their offensive line. Given the need to run the football, replacing these two will be extremely important. It's also important to give whoever wins the QB competition enough time to work in the pocket.
Cade Foster is graduating and had a disastrous Iron Bowl, missing three field goal attempts. He only missed five kicks total so that game was likely just a fluke.
Alabama lost their last two games to Auburn and Oklahoma. They begin 2014 with a game in Atlanta against West Virginia. If somehow there is an upset, Alabama hosts Florida Atlantic Week 2 so the losing streak should end quickly.
Auburn won the 2013 Iron Bowl in miracle fashion and took Alabama's place in the national title game. The 2014 edition of the Iron Bowl will be in Tuscaloosa so Alabama needs to regain the state with a win.
TJ Yeldon and Kenyan Drake are back, but we learned in the Sugar Bowl that Derrick Henry might just be their best running back yet. Nick Saban will have his work cut out for him to balance carries and figure out who has the hot hand. The offense should be heavily run-oriented, though.
AJ McCarron has been the leader of Alabama since his freshman year and started 53 games in four years. He completed 70 percent of his passes, threw for over 9,000 yards, 77 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. They need to replace his experience, leadership and stats.
It is going to be hard to replace AJ McCarron, but Nick Saban has plenty of options on his roster. Senior Blake Sims is the only QB who has thrown a pass on the roster. The other QBs are sophomore Alec Morris and redshirt freshmen Parker McLeod and Cooper Bateman (above), who was one of the top QBs in the 2013 class.
Linebacker C.J. Mosley, safety Ha Ha Clinton Dix and safety Vinnie Sunseri will all depart. Trey DePriest will have first shot to replace Mosley. A handful of young players will compete to replace Clinton-Dix and Sunseri. These three were not only Bama's best, but they were the heart of their defense and leaders.
Alabama won three of the last five BCS National Championships. The BCS is gone, and 2014 begins the new four-team playoff system. Alabama would need to win the Sugar or Rose Bowl on New Year's Day and than play for the National title the week after.
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