Southeastern Conference – West Division
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QBs David Cornwell / Jake Coker – Alabama Crimson Tide
The Crimson Tide will begin the season with nine new starters on the offensive side of the ball. While the team will, unsurprisingly, welcome another top-ranked collection of recruits in 2015, the odds are stacked against Alabama in finding its way back into the playoffs. Luckily for the team's starting quarterback, Ryan Kelly will return to anchor the offensive line at center and Cam Lawson will continue to protect the backside. The experience advantage falls heavily in the favor of former FSU transfer Coker, but HC Nick Saban will not make the mistake of starting anyone based upon a sense of loyalty toward “seniority.”
Cornwell (6’5”, 221 pounds) was a top 2014 recruit from Norman North High School (game tape) that was afforded a year of seasoning under a redshirt. He lost a large portion of his senior year of high school due to a knee injury, but still managed to impress with 1,445 yards (289.0 YPG), a 61.0 completion percentage (C%), and a 12-2 TD-INT total. Cornwell does not provide much athleticism to the position with 5.04-speed and a 27.8” vertical, but possesses a powerful arm that allows him to exploit all levels of the field.
The recent performance by Cornwell in the team's spring game only added to the drama, as he averaged 4.58 yards/attempt, on a 50 C%, and delivered two interceptions. Flipping the coin, what Coker provides to the college experience department, he partially surrenders from playing within the (run-heavy) single-wing scheme in high school (game tape). He offers great size (6’5”, 232 pounds) and above-average arm strength, but has significant issues with footwork. OC Lane Kiffin did his best to sidestep Coker's awkward footwork and 5.12 40-time by utilizing a ridiculous, unsustainable 45.5 play action/total dropback percentage (PA%) during his 150 total dropbacks.
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