Let’s be honest. Even if Alabama had won its second consecutive national championship, Nick Saban’s list of offseason goals would have been long.

But is it a little longer now after the unprecedented blowout loss to Clemson? Absolutely.

I’ll leave the entire laundry list to Saban and instead focus on the 5 realistic goals for the Crimson Tide this offseason:

1. Find the studs in the secondary

Because nobody could find them against Clemson. And no, that wasn’t just because Saivion Smith went down with an injury. Smith is off to the NFL, as is Deionte Thompson. That’s from a group that had to replace its top 6 players this season.

Alabama allowed a Saban-era worst 35.3 points in its final 3 games of the season. Jake Fromm, Kyler Murray and Trevor Lawrence all lit up the Crimson Tide secondary, which was an obvious weakness in the postseason. Rare it was to see that from a Saban-coached team.

Despite some struggles down the stretch, we know that Patrick Surtain will have one of those corner spots solidified. Trevon Diggs will also be back after he missed the second half of the season and Xavier McKinney will return after he was one of the rare bright spots for the Alabama secondary down the stretch.

That’s the good news. Alabama won’t replace its top 6 secondary members this offseason like it did last year. Hopefully that means the Crimson Tide’s 4 new defensive backs who rank in the top 100 nationally shouldn’t have to step into major roles out of the gate.

2. Get Irv Smith’s replacement up to speed

Tight ends who rack up 700-plus receiving yards and 7 touchdowns don’t grow on trees. Smith was an invaluable weapon who forced secondaries to stay honest in the middle of the field (or at least try to):

Besides Smith, the blocking and occasional red-zone success of Hale Hentges also has to be replaced. Suddenly, the Alabama tight end is a versatile, prominent role in the offense.

Who will step in and fill that role? That’s a good question.

Major Tennison seems like the most likely candidate. Alabama gave him the option of redshirting this year by only playing him in 4 games in 2018. The former 4-star tight end is in his third year in the offense, and figures to be featured more in 2019. After that, though, it’s a bit of a mystery.

Fellow 4-star tight end in the 2016 class, Kedrick James, is a bit of an unknown after an indefinite suspension prevented him from even making the trip in the postseason. Redshirt junior Miller Forristall is the most experienced of the bunch, but with 6 career catches and 0 touchdowns, he’s obviously not a given to break out.

One thing is for sure. Whoever takes over those spots will need to develop a rapport with Tua Tagovailoa in a hurry.

3. Close out the 2019 class with a bang

Alabama looks like a lock to finish the 2019 class ranked No. 1 overall after a 1-year hiatus in 2018. Putting the finishing touches on that class will be a major point of emphasis we approach next Wednesday’s Signing Day. There’s still work to be done with Alabama in the market for 4 more top-100 recruits.

Four-star defensive tackle Ishmael Sospher would be a major victory if he left Louisiana, as would be getting fellow blue-chip defensive tackle Nathan Pickering to flip from Mississippi State. Alabama is also the favorite to land No. 2 outside linebacker Henry To’oto’o, who has a visit to Tuscaloosa scheduled in the next couple weeks.

Even with 24 recruits already enrolled/signed/committed, you know Saban would love to add 2 of those 3 aforementioned targets. If he can do that, Alabama will have 15 top-100 recruits. As great of a recruiter as Saban is, he hasn’t accomplished that feat since 2013.

4. Find a back who can block like Damien Harris

You don’t see 5-star skill players who do the following things:

  • A) Stay all 4 years
  • B) Perform like a 5-star
  • C) Block like they’re a walk-on
  • D) All the above

Harris was definitely “D.” Finally, his Alabama career is over. With Josh Jacobs also leaving, the task isn’t finding someone who can replace their production. Former 5-star recruits Najee Harris and Trey Sanders are capable of that. But are they capable of being as unselfish as Harris was as a blocker? That remains to be seen.

Let’s not forget that in order to throw the ball like Alabama wants to, you need a back who’s willing take on untouched edge rushers:

Those are the little things that championship teams have that can make all the difference. As we saw in 2018, Tagovailoa isn’t the world’s most durable quarterback. Keeping him upright is part of the list of responsibilities for the Alabama tailback, too.

Sanders made the claim that he plans on winning the Heisman as a true freshman. In the short-term, though, he and the rest of his backfield mates can find their way onto the field by delivering the boom like Harris did throughout his career.

5. Start paying the offensive coordinator more

As of this writing, Alabama is still without an offensive coordinator. Reports are that Steve Sarkisian is the guy, though nothing is “official.” Mike Locksley left to take the head gig at Maryland and quarterbacks coach Dan Enos left Tuscaloosa to take the coordinator job at Miami.

Alabama continues to lose offensive coordinators. Including Lane Kiffin, the program has had 4 offensive coordinators since the start of the 2016 postseason (Kiffin, Sarkisian, Brian Daboll, Locksley) with Locksley’s successor being the fifth.

Here’s a thought. Why isn’t Alabama spending more on the position? You’d think that a program making money hand over fist with the highest-paid coach in America, it would be willing to make that coveted position one of the top 5 highest-paid assistants in America. Since Kiffin left, Alabama’s 2 most-recent offensive coordinators actually made less than he did (via USA Today).

[table “” not found /]

And while everyone assumes Alabama’s staff is the biggest and best, the Crimson Tide actually ranked behind 6 schools when it comes to total assistant salaries in 2018:

  • 1. Ohio State: $7,383,938
  • 2. Clemson: $6,825,000
  • 3. Texas A&M: 6,789,640
  • 4. Auburn: $6,555,600
  • 5. LSU: $6,470,000
  • 6. Georgia: $6,420,000
  • 7. Alabama: $6,123,723
  • 8. Texas: $5,955,000
  • 9. Michigan: $5,875,000
  • 10. Florida State: $5,715,000

I know, I know. It’s crazy to even suggest that Alabama doesn’t spend enough money on its football program. But when Saban is losing his top assistant on an annual basis and there are 4 SEC programs alone who spend more on their assistant staffs, it’s noteworthy.

I’ll be fascinated to see what Alabama pays Sarkisian, assuming that deal gets done. Will it be Jim Chaney money? Probably not quite. But while paying an average of $1.6 million annually for an offensive coordinator might sound insane, Alabama needs to sweeten the deal and up its $1.2 million standard for that position.

Something tells me that won’t be a difficult goal to accomplish this offseason.