Snap Count Observations: Alabama offense uses multiple freshmen in larger-than-expected roles against Florida State
Alabama used multiple freshmen on offense against Florida State in the season opener with some players even getting larger-than-expected roles.
The Alabama Crimson Tide dropped its first loss of the 2025 season on Saturday in the season opener against Florida State. The offense struggled to move the ball after the opening drive and only came away with 17 points on the day, but while there was a lot of bad, there was some good too. Below, you can find all of my snap count observations, plus some other thoughts sprinkled in, for Alabama’s offense.
Quarterback
Ty Simpson – 75 snaps (100%)
Quick observations: Simpson wasn’t spectacular on Saturday, but I thought he played decently well overall. His ability to escape pressure at a high rate was remarkable, but his decision-making and accuracy struggled on the move. If he improves in those two areas, he’s got a chance to be effective in this Kalen DeBoer-Ryan Grubb offense.
Yes, he held onto the ball too long at times, and there may have been one or two occasions where he bailed from the pocket when it wasn’t necessary. I did, however, notice when re-watching the All-22 that some of his leaving the pocket prematurely was a result of no one being opened downfield. Still, he needs to improve there.
Simpson certainly wasn’t set up for success in the season opener though. Sure, he helped lead the offense on a 17-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to start the game, but the defense immediately allowed Florida State to counter and tie the game up. And by the midway point of the second quarter, Alabama was down double digits in hostile road environment. Then with close to 10 minutes to go in the third, the Tide found themselves down three scores.
Those factors led to Simpson throwing the football 43 times. Jalen Milroe only exceeded 33 attempts once in his two years as a starter, and that was when he threw it 45 times against Tennessee last season. Far from ideal for a first career start. Not only that, but the offensive line often broke down in obvious passing situations, the run game was anything but complementary and his receivers accounted for four drops on the day, including three from one of the best players in the country in Ryan Williams.
Once again, that combination is tough for any quarterback to overcome, especially one starting his first ever game, but we’ll have to see how Simpson progresses in the coming weeks. He needs to get better too.
Running Back
- Daniel Hill – 30 snaps (40%)
- Richard Young – 25 snaps (33.3%)
- Kevin Riley – 12 snaps (16%)
- Dre Washington – 4 snaps (5.3%)
Quick observations: I was somewhat surprised to see Hill get the most snaps amongst the running backs, especially when he totaled the fourth-most carries on the team with three. He did get half the targets that went to the backs with two though, giving him five total touches for just 21 yards (9 rushing, 12 receiving). I thought he was decently productive. Yes, one carry went for minus-two yards after he slipped with defenders barreling down on him in the backfield, but otherwise, he helped create favorable situations.
His first carry, which came after he rotated in on the opening drive, went for seven yards, setting up a favorable second-and-three. Then his third carry went for four yards, setting up a second-and-six. That type of production was what we were expecting from him as a guy who could consistently get 4-6 yards per carry, but the sample size remains small. He also showed an ability to help in the passing game as a receiver, but he struggled some in pass protection.
Young got the start and tied Simpson for a team-leading nine carries, but that only turned into 26 yards, good for just 2.9 yards per carry. He had moments quickly getting north-south with some authority, which is why three of his carries went for six yards and he picked up a much-needed first down on fourth down during the opening drive, but it was too hit-or-miss with six of his nine carries going for three or fewer yards (four went for zero yards or one yard).
Riley was the surprise contributor. We were expecting Young and then Hill, but Washington was widely considered the No. 3 back with Jam Miller out. Instead, it was the redshirt freshman. He only played 12 snaps, but there was an effort to get him the football when he was in the game, as he totaled a team-leading 31 rushing yards on five carries. Plus, he caught his lone target for four yards, giving him 35 total yards on six touches. Here were his carries:
- 1st-and-10: 13-yard gain (1st-and-10)
- 1st-and-10: 4-yard gain (2nd-and-6)
- 2nd-and-10: 2-yard gain (3rd-and-8)
- 2nd-and-7: 6-yard gain (3rd-and-1)
- 3rd-and-1: 6-yard gain (1st-and-10)
So of his five carries, four of them either picked up a first down in a short-yardage situation or put the offense in a favorable second or third down. He was explosive hitting the hole and working his way to the second level. I wonder how much the staff trusts him in pass protection though. He only got one pass-blocking snap on Saturday, so we still don’t know, but if they do, I’d argue that they should’ve had him on the field more against Florida State. Either way, he’s earned more opportunities moving forward, especially with Miller still on the mend.
Washington wasn’t effective with either of his carries, as he had a negative gain and a two-yard gain.
Wide Receiver
- Germie Bernard – 69 snaps (92%)
- Ryan Williams – 61 snaps (81.3%)
- Rico Scott – 47 snaps (62.7%)
- Isaiah Horton – 23 snaps (30.1%)
- Lotzeir Brooks – 9 snaps (12%)
- Derek Meadows – 7 snaps (9.3%)
- Jalen Hale – 5 snaps (6.7%)
- Jaylen Mbakwe – 1 snap (1.3%)
Quick observations: We found out on Saturday that Horton wasn’t 100% entering the game. He did get the start, but played the fourth-most snaps with even Scott getting over double his workload. That’s a big reason why he didn’t have much of a presence in this game, turning only one target into a six-yard gain. DeBoer did say on Monday that he expects to see Horton be a full-go by the end of the week, which should provide the offense with a boost against Louisiana-Monroe.
Bernard was outstanding against the Seminoles.
Sure, there was a couple of blocks he’d probably like to have back, but as a receiver, he was exactly what we were expecting from a reliability and consistency standpoint. He was a much bigger part of the passing game than we expected though, as he led the Crimson Tide in targets (14) while hauling in eight of them for 146 yards, good for an impressive 18.3 yards per catch. Both the receptions and yardage were career-highs, beating his previous highs of seven for 111 yards against Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
If Alabama can continue to get this type of impact from Bernard once Williams and Horton are fully healthy, there still might be a chance for this offense to turn itself around. Speaking of Williams, his three drops were a career-high, which also gives him 10 in his last 10 games after posting zero through the first five weeks of 2024. That’s concerning, but I’m probably more concerned about the concussion and his slot usage. Last season, he played 120 of his 710 snaps inside, good for a 16.9% rate. On Saturday, that number jumped all the way to 88.5%.
Even before he left the game early with a concussion, it didn’t look like the star sophomore was fully healthy. He looked hobbled and even seemed to be wearing some sort of band on his hamstring. Nothing has been acknowledged or addressed regarding anything other than the concussion, so we don’t know that for sure, but he seemed off way before leaving the game.
We had heard that he was getting moved around the formation to create mismatches in the spring and fall camp, so maybe that’s why his usage was so limited. Either way, I would prefer to see Bernard more inside moving forward. He’s moreso built to handle that type of punishment. A 50-50 split for both of them (interchanging between the Z and the H) with Horton playing mostly the X seems about right. Then you’ve got a guy like Scott, who’s capable of providing quality snaps at all three positions. He was physical on Saturday, whether it be as a blocker or as a receiver. I continue to be excited about what he can provide Alabama’s offense.
The two true freshmen, Brooks and Meadows, played more than I was expecting. Neither of them got a target, but I saw flashes from both. Brooks seems like a guy who’s going to help this team eventually, and Meadows was a nice big-bodied field stretcher with Horton being limited. I’m curious to see how their roles expand in the coming weeks.
Tight End
- Josh Cuevas – 63 snaps (84%)
- Kaleb Edwards – 18 snaps (24%)
- Jay Lindsey – 1 snap (1.3%)
Quick observations: Look, I’m not surprised that Danny Lewis wasn’t available. I mentioned back in the middle of August that he just didn’t look healthy to me. We knew he’d been limited, but the coaches were downplaying whatever he was dealing with. It wasn’t until I saw him hobbling around in practice that I realized there was a possibility that he could miss Week 1. He’s only played 165 snaps with one start in his first three seasons at Alabama, but he was expected to be the starting Y-tight end in this offense.
In his absence, freshman Kaleb Edwards was the main inline guy with Cuevas acting more in that move H-role. Granted, Cuevas was used as the primary tight end, playing close to 85% of the snaps and getting the third-most targets (7) behind Bernard and Williams. His 31 yards were actually the second-highest on the team, and that 10.3-yard average was respectable. I also thought the former Washington transfer did a fantastic job when asked to chip edge defenders. He wasn’t great as a run blocker, but he was serviceable.
Edwards struggled as a blocker, but in some ways, that was to be expected from a true freshman who didn’t enroll until the summer. He’s a massive body out there, but him being easily the second-most relied on player at his position in this game speaks more to the struggles at tight end. Hopefully, Lewis is able to get back sooner rather than later, but DeBoer didn’t offer any update on him when going over the injury report on Monday.
Lindsey’s lone snap came as a goal line blocker with multiple tight ends on the field.
Offensive Line
- Kadyn Proctor – 75 snaps (100%)
- Kam Dewberry – 75 snaps (100%)
- Parker Brailsford – 75 snaps (100%)
- Geno VanDeMark – 75 snaps (100%)
- Wilkin Formby – 75 snaps (100%)
Quick observations: Despite Jaeden Roberts clearing concussion protocol on Friday, there was no rotation along Alabama’s offensive line against Florida State. I thought the unit started off strong on the opening drive, especially creating movement off the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, that success didn’t last long, as the Seminoles made life difficult for both the run and passing games. After rushing for 54 yards on the opening drive, the Tide only totaled 33 for the remainder of the game.
Obviously, that’s rough, and while I do think Ryan Grubb got away from the run a little too early, it was clear early on that Alabama wasn’t going to be able to create favorable down-and-distances on the ground consistently. Then by the time the Crimson Tide were down three scores with a little under 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, it was all about throwing the football — hence, the 43 pass attempts.
Pass protection wasn’t great either. Alabama’s offensive line allowed 14 pressures, three quarterback hits and two sacks. Of those, 10 of the pressures and all of the hits and sacks came from the two tackles, Proctor and Formby. According to Pro Football Focus, Proctor allowed six pressures, two hits and a sack while Formby allowed four pressures and one hit. That’s probably one reason why Cuevas was asked to help chip so often.
Overall, I thought Brailsford was great. Otherwise, the rest of the group was up and down. There were some good moments, including from Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry, but still way too much inconsistency. That created a bad product overall. Things have got to change moving forward.