When the Alabama Crimson Tide take the field New Year’s Eve against the Michigan Wolverines for the ReliaQuest Bowl, there will be some familiar names missing for the program due to a variety of reasons.
Not only are a few Alabama players set to miss the bowl game due to injury, but others have since made their intentions known to enter the NCAA transfer portal to play elsewhere in 2025, which has resulted in a few younger members of the Crimson Tide roster rocketing up the depth chart ahead of the Michigan game.
Because of this, there will likely be some unfamiliar players seeing significant snaps against Michigan in the bowl game, some of which will be at key positions.
Let’s take a look at some of those names, as well as what each has currently done up to this point in the year.
Richard Young, Running Back
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
2024 Stats: 25 rushes, 140 yards, 2 TD, 1 reception, 7 yards
Earlier this month, Alabama lost one of their top running backs to the transfer portal in sophomore Justice Haynes, and the player most likely to benefit from his absence in the immediate future vs. Michigan is Richard Young. A redshirt freshman, Young has rushed for 140 yards and two scores on 25 attempts as Alabama’s No. 3 running back so far this season, and is likely to play a major role in the 2025 Crimson Tide offense.
Rico Scott, Wide Receiver
Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images
2024 Stats: 4 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD
A position that could look significantly different for Alabama in the bowl game is wide receiver, as a total of four prominent names have all departed the program via the transfer portal this month. As a result of this, Rico Scott, as well as Jaren Hamilton, are likely to see a notable amount of action on New Year’s Eve, the former of which has made four receptions for 51 yards and a score so far this season as a true freshman.
Keon Keeley, Defensive End
Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
2024 Stats: 2 tackles
Back in the same city where he played his high school football, redshirt freshman Keon Keeley is a name to watch for along the defensive line that could see a lot of action against Michigan. A former five-star prospect, Keeley ranked as one of the nation’s top overall recruits in the 2023 class, and has not played much during his two seasons at Alabama so far, amassing only two tackles so far this season.
King Mack, Safety
Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images
2024 Stats: 12 tackles
With starting safety Malachi Moore set to miss the bowl game due to injury, Alabama is set to have a new starter for the Michigan game at the position. As for a name to watch for, King Mack could be just that, with the sophomore having recorded a career-high of 12 tackles so far this year.
Red Morgan, Safety
Butch Dill-Imagn Images
2024 Stats: 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD
We conclude with another name who could see time in the secondary in freshman Red Morgan, a player who originally saw action earlier in the year. Up to this point in the year, Morgan has eight tackles with one TFL and a PD, and likely projects to be an impact player in the Crimson Tide’s secondary in 2025.
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