It’s going to be tough to replace two of the nation’s most dangerous return men (Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle), and a three-year starter at long snapper.
Let’s begin with Thomas Fletcher, a two-time Rubio All-American and the winner of the 2020 Mannelly Award given to the nation’s top snapper. Alabama has produced an unbroken string of quality long snappers dating back over a decade, all the way back to Carson Tinker. But Fletcher may be the finest of the bunch. Like his predecessor, Cole Mazza, Fletcher did not have a single missnap in his career, but he was so much faster getting the ball in play and then getting his head up on the play.