The Alabama football roster has plenty of breakout candidates, considering all the change and new faces on the team.
That means there are several unknown or relatively unproven commodities. And a new coaching staff can mean new uses for players who might not have seen as big of a role in a different system.
For the purpose of the following list, here’s the criteria for a “breakout candidate:” 1. A player who has a chance to go from a reserve to making an impact as a starter or 2. A previous starter who has the potential to become a star.
More than five players could fit that description, but for the purpose of this exercise, we’ll keep it to five.
So, keeping all that in mind, here are five candidates to have breakout seasons for the Crimson Tide in 2024.
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If the A-Day game didn’t make it clear, Bernard is on track to make an impact in 2024 and could break onto the national scene quickly. Three receptions for 122 yards will have that effect.
He’s not completely under-the-radar, considering he caught 34 balls for Washington a season ago. But he was in a receiving group with Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan. All three went in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.
Now, Bernard has a chance to be the alpha in Tuscaloosa. There are other talented players in the receiving room, but there’s an opening for someone to lead the way as the top receiver. Bernard has a chance to become that player and break out.
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, speaking at Yea Alabama’s Tide on Tour event in Birmingham on Tuesday, called Bernard a special person.
“He’s been a guy that’s been waiting for this opportunity,” DeBoer said Tuesday. “Played a significant role on our team last year at Washington. He’s ready for this moment. Had a great spring. Loves everything about the process, all the work it takes to put into it to get to where you want to be. He’s got big goals.”
After a big spring game in 2023, Haynes had a quiet freshman season. Much of that was because of limited carries. He only got 25 with a running back room that had plenty of options. But now Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams are gone. That leaves Haynes and Jam Miller to lead the way on the ground with Richard Young likely to play a sizable role as well.
Haynes finished the 2023 season well with a solid 31 yards on four carries, an average of 7.8 yards per carry, against the stout Michigan defense in the Rose Bowl. He’s got the tools and pedigree to have a breakout season in 2024 as a sophomore.
He was a starter during the 2023 season after transferring from Maryland, but he wasn’t used much in the passing game. That could change this season. Even with the elite receivers that quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had at Washington to whom he could throw in 2023, former Washington tight end Jack Westover still managed to catch 46 passes for 433 yards and four touchdowns in DeBoer’s offense.
That should bode well for Dippre, who showed flashes of potential as a receiver with two receptions against Michigan, one against Georgia and receptions of 30, 26 and 45 yards in three other games.
Dippre is a big-bodied, athletic and strong option for quarterback Jalen Milroe in intermediate routes. Depending on how DeBoer and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan use him, Dippre could be in line for a big season.
Latham should have prime opportunities to contribute on defense. He and LT Overton have a chance to make an impact in the new “Swarm” defense under defensive coordinator Kane Wommack at the Bandit position on the defensive line.
With Justin Eboigbe off to the NFL, someone else like that will need to fill that spot on this defensive line, and Latham is a solid candidate. He’s a redshirt senior, so he’s a veteran guy, and he has shown flashes of potential with 10 pressures a season ago to go with a sack against Arkansas, per Pro Football Focus.
Smith seemed in line to receive a bigger role in 2023 before injuries forced him to miss most of the season. He didn’t appear in a game until the Kentucky matchup in November. Now, with significant shakeup at defensive back, Smith could have an opportunity to start at the Husky defensive back spot, which is essentially the nickel defensive back in Wommack’s defense. Having long waited for an opportunity like this one, Smith is in a good spot to have a breakout season if he wins the starting job.
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men’s basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
