For those Alabama football fans who do not remember, college football was once a sport dominated by teams with the most starting upperclassmen. In fact, in the Bryant era, returning senior starters were gold. Their physical and mental maturity and game experience were deemed irreplaceable.
Those days are long over. Even after underclassmen began earning starting roles, it took longer for many true freshmen to succeed as starters on other than roster-deprived teams. Now every season, college football headlines are filled with the exploits of true freshmen.
It does not happen quite as often with Alabama football.