Last year was probably the best and most complete season that a Bama linebacker core has had since probably either 92 or 94, 97. The emergence of Donta Hightower and the continued growth and hard nosed play by McClain led the Tide defense. Reamer moved into the Sam role and played part time, but in the base, he was a solid linebacker and rarely was out of position. Jack continued to lag with Fanney (there's a pun in there isn't there?) as the lead Jack and Anders playing 3rd downs.
THIS OFFSEASON
Who is back?
Eryk Anders- Anders turned heads as he redshirted and also during the last spring. Last season he was the rush Jack on passing situations and did fairly well at it. His motor runs, there is no questioning that, but he is a little small for the 3-4 Jack. The main thing that has happened from this point last year to this year is that he has learned how to be a true linebacker and not just a blitzer. He knows how to use his body and use his strong lower body in particular to push blockers away and tackle clean. He isn't going to be pulled by the cart like a Prince Hall or Juwan Simpson would. He has won the job because he is the most polished.
Cory Reamer- Reamer comes in highly thought of and now redshirted and reserved, and started at Sam last year. He is plenty gifted and has a good eye for the play, which both Sam and Will require, but he gives up size there. They are looking for ways to get him in the game more because he is like a coach on the field, but he isn't quite skilled enough to play Money in the pass defense packages.
Rolando McClain- “Rolo” had to learn on the fly his freshman year, and did struggle at times, but really took off towards the end of the year. He, like Reamer, has a good feel for the game and seems to always be around the ball and on time. His sophomore year was more of a coming out party because with Hightower able to compliment him, it allowed him to focus on calling the plays and playing up on the line more where he is more comfortable. McClain isn't great in coverage and gets lost a little bit in coverage, he is much better up against the run or covering the flat if in coverage, that's not too uncommon with linebackers though. I would look for McClain to have around 75 to 100 tackles this fall as a lot of his play will be central to how the defense does.
Alex Watkins- He played end in high school and had 116 tackles, unheard of at any level, and is just a, well, football player. I think if Bama were in the 4-3, we’d be calling him a starter, but Bama doesn’t play that and there is where the story really stalls for him. He is not getting weight on him, or at least not enough to elevate himself up the chart at Jack, and that may be the struggle for him, and he has been moved to Sam because of that. I think in watching him in video he is serviceable, but I would hesitate to start him due to his just lack of experience out there. There is a real void at Sam if Reamer goes down right now.
Chavis Williams- Williams did play last year you probably just missed it. Williams was high on the coach's chart until last fall and then he lost their faith. Williams is good at rushing the quarterback, but is very undisciplined outside of that one task. He loses containment and assignments a lot and gets out of position more than the coaches will tollerate. That is why he has fallen behind Watkins now.
Jerrell Harris- The top catch of the 08 linebacker class. He, however, may not be the “best” player when it is over just because Donta Hightower is a much more well rounded player. I would question him being 227 right now, he is a very lean 227 if he is. He looked good on special teams and probably will play some backup at Will and maybe Sam. I know the boards are high on him, but there's just something that doesn't make me all hyped up for some reason.
Donta Hightower- He looked like he was ready to go coming out of high school, and after two a days, he was ready to go. Hightower is the best multipurpose player on the team right now. He can blitz, cover, defend the run, and he has great hands for a linebacker. They want him at Jack but nobody can replace his game at Will, so he remains inside, and I think that is best anyways. I think he may be the “best” player when it is said and done.
Courtney Upshaw- A lot of folks are high on him. I like him, but think he is a real stretch for the Jack position for a while. I think I would like to see him play Jack some more to get on board with him being the "answer" there, but I think he can contribute. The thing here is that he's not as strong as Anders or Fanney. He really hasn't developed the next move if he can't just go past the lineman. Until he does, he probably won't win the confidence of the coaches and they will continue to tinker with the thoughts of Hightower and maybe others playing Jack.
Chris Jordan- The running back experiment didn’t last long, and that wasn’t a surprise to me. I think given his build and ability to bulk up some, he can play the Will position or Sam if needed. He looks natural at either Will or Mike and moves in space rather well, he is a true athlete. This is kinda the year for him to get some PT and show his stuff because there are 2 guys really wanting more PT that will get their chance next year.
Who is gone?
Prince Hall- What happens when you think you are Ricky Williams but play like Ricky Lake? See Prince Hall. The use of the phrase "beast" or "stud" with his name is why I hate it.
Charlie Higgenbotham- He just never got into the mix.
Brandon Fanney- What happens when you come to practice smelling like skunk and covered in Cheetos? North Alabama that's what.
Jennings Hester- I got heat last year for saying he wouldn't play a meaningful down, and he didn't. I know Kines liked him but he never was going to fit in.
Who is new?
Jonathan Atchison- If he is 216, I'd be shocked. Looks more like 190-200 in pads. Has good first step, and can play end or OLB, but will play Sam at Alabama. His pass coverage is ok, needs to work on his motion when he turns to go down field some, gets locked at the hips and loses a step to the back in motion. When he pass rushes, he has buck fever and shoots up in his stance first then goes forward, that's coachable, but he needs to use that speed first and then get higher in his pursuit, college linemen are faster than what he saw in Atlanta. When he was committed to AU, he was a perfect fit for them to contribute right away, at Bama he can fit in but it will be down the line as he's gotta get up in weight and mass muscle to play in the 3-4, otherwise he's about like Alex Watkins.
Nico Johnson- Johnson is a nice fit at MLB for the Tide. He's not too tall and built well enough to play right away if needed. He's built more like Rolando was than Dont'a was coming out of high school. Has top end speed for a MLB, can cover the entire field and is very aware of how to use angles to cut the pursuit of faster running backs. I noticed in the Army game that he really hawks to the ball and caught a much faster running back in the backfield because he gets the angles and how to start in position (exact opposite of how Prince Hall does it). While he could play Mike or Will, he could play Sam if needed. He has that capacity to play around the horn. Has great footwork and is hard for OL to center up and block, he seems to keep them off him with his long arms a lot. Scouts at the Army camp say he needs to learn to play all out every down, but that's a high school flaw more than a college concern.
Tana Patrick- Patrick is a very deceptive player. He looks too big to play linebacker but his speed makes him destined to start there. Played TE and LB in high school, but will start at Will or Sam at Alabama. He definately could bulk up to be 250 and play Jack down the road, his frame is well more than adequate to do that, really looks bigger than 235 when I've seen him. If you compare him to Nico Johnson, he is probably more athletic in the way he plays, but not as groomed as Johnson is. He commands the field though when he's playing and is a great run stopper in the middle. Biggest flaw in his game is his lateral movement. He's no where near as fluid from sideline to sideline as Johnson is, but is better north and south than Johnson. How quickly he bulks and how much bulk he adds will change his position in time. I think he'll play outside or hand down eventually because he looks like he'll bulk up to outgrow OLB or ILB.
Petey Smith- grayshirt
THE LINEBACKERS
The Good…
Leadership
I think the biggest trait in a winner is the leadership that comes from the field. In McClain, Hightower, and Reamer you get that contribution either in example, in the huddle, or in practice.
Building Depth
The LB core is young, not as young as last year but still young, but the numbers are improving. That’s key because there will be injuries or strategy needs will necessitate more depth. Don’t be surprised if some areas don’t go 3 deep.
The Bad
Lack of experienced depth
When you get down to it, first year players won’t play like fourth year players. They will be used in reserve and see some here and there minutes, but the team needs to really start building the depth chart and getting the 2s and 3s into the schemes some so that when a McClain goes pro or a Reamer graduates, the impact is not as severe. Every year it seems like they commit to depth building but lose that in the process.
The Ugly…
Playing the what if game
What if they aren’t as good and Va Tech shows how bad they can be? If you thought Utah left a cleat in their head, we may not have seen the true low yet.
What the experts think….
Athlon’s
They rank the LB core 2nd behind UF, and mention Rolo may be auditioning for the NFL, and mention the depth issues.
Lindy's
They ranked them the best LB core in America. They call Rolo and Hightower "designed in the NFL lab". They talk a good deal about the new LB coaches. They talk about Hightower's coverage skills and snagging the 25 yard pass for an INT.
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