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Greg McElroy explains how being a ‘star-driven entity’ negatively impacted Alabama in 2022
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Greg McElroy is looking forward to the 2023 season while tackling a number of topics coming out of SEC Media Days.
In the latest “Always College Football Podcast,” McElroy was asked to identify one team he’s “keeping a close eye on.” He went with Alabama, and McElroy explained why he expects the Crimson Tide to have a more cohesive performance this season.
According to McElroy, Nick Saban’s team was a bit too “star-driven” a season ago while relying on Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. That led to some players slacking off a bit while relying on “hero ball.”
“They were a star-driven entity last year. A team that relied on a star offensively in Bryce Young and a star defensively in Will Anderson,” McElroy explained. “And the other 10 guys that were on offense and defense looked at their star and said ‘That guy is going to bail us out,I don’t necessarily have to completely go over the top with my responsibility because I know that guy is going to play hero ball and he’s going to make it happen for us.'”
While having stars is nice, too much reliance on those stars can negatively impact others on the team. McElroy expects the absence of those two stars to lead to a stronger collective approach in 2023.
“When you have hero ball and you put so much stock into that one player, it can have a negative impact on everyone else on the team,” said McElroy. “…Now those 2 guys are gone and I think there’s going to be a more collective approach on the roster to elevate their play.”
Here’s McElroy’s latest episode with the Alabama discussion beginning around the 10-minute mark:
Alabama’s 2023 outlook
Despite missing out on the College Football Playoff a season ago, Alabama has the second-best odds to win the national championship this season. FanDuel has Alabama at +600 to win the national title, trailing only defending champion Georgia at +215.
We’ll see if Nick Saban’s program can recapture the SEC and get back to the Playoff this fall.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
