It’s that time of year again. Preview magazines and preseason rankings for the upcoming college football season are rapidly being published. Each offseason, one of the most highly anticipated preview magazines comes courtesy of Athlon Sports.
Recently, Athlon released its top 25 SEC players entering the 2023 college football season and a total of three Alabama football stars landed on the list. In fact, each of Alabama’s three representatives landed in the top 10.
Georgia star tight end Brock Bowers was the obvious choice as the top player in the conference followed by LSU super sophomore linebacker Harold Perkins.
Let’s take a look at which Alabama players found themselves on the list and where they are in the rankings!
Kool-Aid McKinstry is without question the top cornerback in the SEC and possibly even in the country. His outstanding man-to-man coverage skills prevent opposing quarterbacks from testing his side of the field very often.
Athlon’s thoughts:
“Per PFF, McKinstry allowed only 37 receptions and one touchdown over 80 targets last season. The Birmingham native also tallied 15 pass breakups and recorded one interception.”
JC Latham has turned into one of the premier tackles in college football. With another stellar season in 2023, he could find himself in the top 10 of the 2024 NFL draft.
Athlon’s thoughts:
“Ranked Latham at No. 5 going into the season is a bit of a projection, but the Wisconsin native is on the cusp of becoming the next star tackle out of Tuscaloosa. After working as a reserve as a freshman in ’21, Latham started all 13 games and did not allow a sack for the Crimson Tide last year.”
Dallas Turner has elite athleticism as an outside linebacker in Alabama’s 3-4 scheme. If he can show signs of improvement from a technical standpoint, he could put up double-digit sacks without breaking a sweat in 2023.
Athlon’s thoughts:
“With Will Anderson off to wreak havoc in the NFL, Turner will become the primary edge rusher for the Crimson Tide. In 28 games, Turner registered 67 tackles (18 for a loss) and 12.5 sacks.
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Story originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire