Team MVP: Justin Vincent, running back. While you could make an argument for defensive end Marcus Spears, Vincent really made this offense go last season.As a freshman, he rushed for 1,001 yards and ten touchdowns.  With quarterback Marcus Randall taking over, a bigger emphasis is going to be placed on Vincent’s shoulders. Randall is a better runner than Mauck, but isn’t a strong passer.

Quarterbacks: With the departure of Matt Mauck to the NFL, the Tigers must now find a replacement. However, there is plenty of experience and talent returning to the program. Marcus Randall filled in for Mauck in 2002 when he was injured against Florida and should be a capable quarterback.  On the heels of Randall are two redshirt freshmen. JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn are contending for the starting job and battling for the back-up position. Those two are the future of the Tigers program and will see some snaps this season. 

Running Backs: The key returnee on offense is running back Justin Vincent. He had a big season as a freshman and will take on a bigger role in 2004. Look for him to become the workhorse for the offense and help to ease Randall, Russell or Flynn into the games. Through several solid recruiting classes, the Tigers have solid depth behind Vincent. Alley Broussard, Barrington Edwards and Shyrone Carey are more than adequate and will push Vincent for playing time. 

Wide Receivers: With the graduation of Devery Henderson and Michael Clayton, the Tigers have a void at receiver. The return of Skyler Green will give the offense a downfield threat, and he will be a big player on special teams. Thanks to the solid recruiting that Saban has done, the Tigers have talented young receivers. Xavier Carter, Early Doucet, Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis are talented and will be successful. They may struggle early on, but expect they have all the tools needed to succeed. 

Offensive Line: Although the Tigers lose two starters on the offensive line, there is still plenty of talent returning. The steady play of Ben Wilkerson will be back at center and Nate Livings and Andrew Whitworth will return at tackle. Replacing Stephen Peterman will be difficult, but like other positions, there is plenty of talent backing up the starters. Rudy Niswanger and Terrell McGill have solid potential and will do a good job stepping up this season.

Defensive Line: Although the loss of defensive tackle Chad Lavalais is huge, there are several players capable of filing in. The success of this unit all starts with end Marcus Spears. Spears had a chance to leave for the NFL, but decided to stay in Baton Rouge and has another shot at a National Championship. He will be a bigger force in the pass rush this season with the loss of Marquise Hill. Kyle Williams is also a returning starter and should be a solid player. There are high expectations for tackle Claude Wroten as he was a key JC transfer. Overall, this should be a productive unit and they will get after the quarterback.   

Linebackers:  Cameron Vaughn and Lionel Turner will be the returning starters in the linebacking corps. Filling out the other starting position will likely be Ali Highsmith or Dominic Cooper. Both players have potential as freshman, but they must step in right away and have success. This unit will get production and should be fine going into the 2004 season. 

Secondary: The Tigers are going to be stingy against opposing passing teams passing games in 2004. The return of three starters, including LaRon Landry and Corey Webster could make this the best secondary in the country. Webster and Travis Daniels are as good as they come at the corner spot. Landry had an impressive freshman season and will only get better.  The only question about this unit is at strong safety with the graduation of Jack Hunt. Jessie Daniels is expected into Hunt’s spot. 

Special Teams: The Tigers could have the best return man in the country outside of Oklahoma in Skyler Green. Green is fast and made several plays returning punts last season. At kicker, Chris Jackson is expected to get the start. However, there are other players battling for the starting job.  At punter, Patrick Fisher is expected to start. There is concern with the loss of Donnie Jones at punter, but there are plenty of candidates on the roster to find a capable player.

Final Thoughts: After winning a share of the National Championship, the Tigers have high expectations to live up to. Head coach Nick Saban is a solid coach and will get this team contending for the title once again.  Offensively, there is plenty talent returning to keep it at a high level. The quarterback position should be fine with Marcus Randall starting.  Developing receivers is going to be a key for this offense going into this season. Defensively, some of the schemes that Saban gets are excellent and they confused Oklahoma in the bowl game. Even though the Tigers are missing four starters, don’t expect much of a drop-off.  The secondary is easily one of the best in the country and will be helped out by a solid pass rush led by Marcus Spears. The Tigers are the favorites to win the SEC West, and they will likely see a showdown with Georgia for the SEC title. 

-- Steve Lassan