Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide have one mission in 2023: prove they’re still on top. After Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs won their second-straight National Championship, many have claimed that Alabama football is no longer the top dog in college football. The Tide have rarely had any teams rival them over the Saban era, and now that they do, it will be interesting to see how they respond.

One place where Alabama is still the top dog is the recruiting world. The Tide have pulled in an insane class in this cycle, with an absurd eight five-stars and 19 four-stars. Needless to say, this recruiting class is the best in the nation by a wide margin.

That said, Alabama’s roster still isn’t perfect. The Tide have lost a ton of players this offseason, whether it be to the transfer portal or to the NFL Draft. Those players include generational talents like Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr., and replacing any of them will be a Herculean task.

Fortunately for the Tide, they still have a chance to fill some of the holes on the roster. National Signing Day is just a couple weeks away, and Alabama is in great position to add more talent. When they do sign more players though, a few positions should take priority over others.

With that said, here are Alabama’s biggest needs ahead of National Signing Day.

3. Safety

Alabama’s secondary has been hit harder than any other position group in terms of departures. Four key players in the group, those being Jordan Battle, Brian Branch, Eli Ricks and DeMarcco Hellams, have all left the program. Replacing that much production in the secondary, especially in the brutal SEC, will be very tough for the Tide.

That said, Alabama football does return a few key players. Kool-Aid McKinstry led the team with 15 passes defended last season, while Terrion Arnold and Malachi Moore had solid seasons as rotational corners. These players will need to adjust to a bigger role, but they are all talented and can absolutely do it.