Friday Mailbag: Agiye Hall departure, Alabama's competition at LT

So if you missed it, we’ve started something new here at BCS Alabama. It’s Friday Mailbag time!

Jimmy Stein and I usually answer mailbag questions for listeners on our podcast, The Bama On3 Show. If you haven’t already, I’d highly suggest going to check that out on Apple Podcast, Spotify or anywhere else you listen to your podcasts. Now, I’m also doing a weekly mailbag in written form on Fridays to answer any questions Alabama fans may have.

Remember, if you want to remain anonymous, that’s totally fine. If you want your name shared so everyone knows who’s behind these fantastic questions, that is also encouraged. Whatever makes you feel comfortable. This mailbag is for you, after all. Alright, let’s begin.

Are you worried about Agiye [Hall] leaving or do you agree with it? – BigCrimson

Sometimes, a separation is needed. That doesn’t mean we always want the split to happen, but in some cases, a split is better than the alternative. That statement holds true for romantic relationships, business relationships and in a lot of other facets in life.

Unfortunately, the time has come for Alabama and former five-star wide receiver Agiye Hall to make that split.

Hall is a very talented young man; that fact hasn’t changed.

I mean, there’s a reason On3 had him ranked as the nation’s top receiver and No. 11 overall prospect coming out of Bloomingdale (Fla.) during the 2021 recruiting cycle. At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, he brought plenty of length, speed and overall athleticism to Alabama’s receiver room.

That being said, he wasn’t a polished receiver — or at least not yet. All those little nuances needed to play the position well seemed to escape him, and it never felt like he had much of a will to get any of those things corrected. Instead, it feels like he only wanted his rare God-given gifts to carry him to early playing time.

But if you don’t do all those little things, you’re not going to play at Alabama. Period.

Bryce Young needs to know his weapons are going to be consistent in everything they do. The relationship between a quarterback and his receiver is entirely built on timing and trust. If Young is expecting his intended target to run a route a certain way, anything other than meeting that expectation can result in a turnover.

You can possess all the talent in the world, but doing the little things matter at Alabama. And speaking candidly, I’m not sure Hall did the little things. So, am I worried about what his departure might mean for the Crimson Tide offense? The short answer is no, not really.

Yes, there’s a lot of youth in Alabama’s wide receiver room.

Nine of the 11 players at that position weren’t even on the team in 2020 — Traeshon Holden and Thaiu Jones-Bell are the lone exceptions. Is that an ideal split? Of course not, but nine of the 11 were also top-100 prospects coming out of high school. It’s a really talented group if you think about it.

I also think adding Jermaine Burton‘s experience to the unit was crucial.

The Georgia transfer is already emerging as Young’s favorite target, and his experience in the SEC should help the younger guys. He knows what it takes to play — and succeed — on this level. And with John Metchie and Jameson Williams now gone, it’s nice to know someone in that room can show others how it’s supposed to be done.

Once Ja’Corey Brooks gets back from the lower leg injury holding him out this spring, I believe this group will have at least five players contributing to the rotation. If you asked me to guess those five players, I’d probably say Burton, Brooks, JoJo Earle, Traeshon Holden and Aaron Anderson. That’s still a dangerous bunch.

Don’t worry, BigCrimson. Alabama will be fine.

How do you feel about left tackle if Tyler Steen doesn’t commit to Alabama? – Greg H.

Well, I want to first put it out there that I do believe Tyler Steen will end up wearing Crimson. That potential marriage isn’t finalized or anything, but I know Alabama is in great shape to land his services. But your question involves a scenario where he doesn’t join the team, so I’ll go ahead and entertain that possibility as well.

So far this spring, super senior Kendall Randolph and redshirt junior Amari Kight have been splitting most of the first-team reps at left tackle. Kight got the first snaps with the ones in last Saturday’s scrimmage, but we’ll at least wait to see what happens this Saturday before making any assumptions about who leads that competition.

Look, I know Alabama values Randolph’s leadership, versatility and willingness to help the team in any way possible. I also know that Kight is a former top-75 player who has a lot of natural ability. But it’s hard to ignore that we haven’t seen either of them as a starter despite being sixth and fourth-year players.

If Steen commits, there will still be a dropoff between his play and Evan Neal. But we know Alabama will at least get serviceable production out of the position. Assuming JC Latham — or someone else — is ready to step up on the right side, this offensive line can be a much-improved unit compared to last season.

Why you might ask? Well, I don’t think there will be an exploitable piece — at least not to the same degree as last season — available for opposing defenses. Here’s an example I recently used on the podcast to drive this point home:

Last season, Alabama went on the road to play Mississippi State. Leading up to that game, I held an extra layer of excitement because I really wanted to see Will Anderson go against State’s left tackle, Charles Cross. He’s projected to be a top-12 pick later this month, and I thought the matchup would provide plenty of fireworks.

Alabama had different plans though.

Sure, Anderson would’ve gotten his fair share of wins against Cross. He’s arguably the best player in the country, after all. But instead of taking a “fair share of wins” against Cross, Saban and Pete Golding devised a game plan that would allow Anderson to pressure the quarterback at a much, much higher rate.

Instead, they lined him up on the left side, meaning he was facing off against State’s right tackle Scott Lashley, a former Alabama guy. Don’t get me wrong, Lashley is a pretty good player, but he’s nowhere near the same caliber as Cross. Plus, he’s simply no match for Anderson.

At the conclusion of that game, the reigning Nagurski Award winner had 6 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 QB hits and several other pressures. A dominant stat line. See, rather than take the best-on-best matchup, Alabama found a way to exploit a weak link on that Bulldogs offensive line.

Now flip the script, and that’s precisely the type of move defenses made against the Tide’s offensive line.

Edge players weren’t going to have a lot of success lining up against Neal. There’s a reason he’s a projected top-5 pick in this year’s draft. But put your best guy across from Chris Owens or Damieon George? Now, there’s a steady stream of pressure being put on Bryce Young.

This year, there’s a chance for a different outcome.

Sure, there might be a little more pressure coming off left tackle. Not everyone — even a veteran, well-respected player such as Steen — can play at as high of a level as Neal. But as long as that steady stream isn’t getting to Young as often on the right side, the unit as a whole can improve.

Plus, there will be some continuity on the interior of the offensive line to shore things up even more.

If Randolph or Kight starts at left tackle, I won’t be as confident in that side getting steady play. That doesn’t automatically mean it will be a problem — just more of an unknown with at least some reason for concern. But if I’m Alabama, the last place I want to be concerned about is Bryce’s blindside.

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