Last Year
The starting 3 last year were veterans and really anchored the front for Bama's defense. Cody, Washington, and Deaderick were solid in their assigned roles all year. The high point for them was Cody's Rocky Block that saved the season. The bright spot was the coming of age for Marcel Dareus. His ability to play inside and outside as well as his freakish athleticism made him a household name across the country.
This Year
Who is back and who is new?
Undra Billingsley- Undra has bounced around from defense to offense to defense again. His issue that keeps him off the field is that he is a tweener. He lacks the speed to play offense or linebacker, but has the power and size to play both. As a D lineman, he's the exact opposite- he has the speed but not the size and power. With that said, he can be a serviceable reserve for the Tide this fall.
Chris Bonds- Chris redshirted last year and is trying to get up the chart. The scouting report on him in high school is that he's got a great motor and has all the potential to be good, but he's injury prone. He is deep on the chart right now, but there are 2 regulars and a JC player ahead of him right now. I would guess that they roll him out there in some situations to see what they have in him and continue to try and harness the energy he has into a full player.
Josh Chapman- Chapman will take up Cody's spot in a platoon with Murphy, his high school teammate. Chapman isn't Cody, but he can be as effective with this defense. Cody was a plug and took up space and disrupted by his size. Chapman is more mobile and is stronger than Cody was. He disrupts with his power and speed. His past chances to start and play have been good and I don't see him or Murphy letting any slack happen between last year and this year.
Marcel Dareus- He doesn't seem to be distracted much by the off field business and that is good. Dareus is one of those rare players who could be as highly touted as Curry and Copeland were 18 years ago. Dareus is a high motor guy that uses his hands and strong upper body to disrupt the offense. He is very athletic for a guy his size, as proven by the TD vs Texas. He can play both end and tackle and does both in the nickel and dime sets depending on situations. If he goes pro, and I think it is about as sure a bet as anything in town that he will, he will be a tackle in the 4-3 and an end on a 3-4 team. His stock will go up or down based on how he handles playing more minutes and being an official starter now. FWIW- I don't see him getting more than 1 game if that much for the Miami thing.
Luther Davis- Davis has quietly made it to a senior year. He has earned the love of the staff and is going to be a captain this fall from the looks of it. Davis has got the ability to be good, but in the past he lacked the consistency. Davis has the skill set and size to be a perfect 3 end. He has great speed and good hand work. If he plays as he did in the BCS title game, he will have a great senior year and live up to the hype that fans and Luther have put on him.
Nick Gentry- Nick continues to hang around and continues to always be ready to jump in when an injury or depth concerns hit. He plays hard and he plays right, but he isn't the most talented guy and he is a tad small for the 3-4, but that doesn't seem to stop him when he plays.
Brandon Ivory- Brandon is a lotta player to move around. He plays more like Cody than Murphy or Chapman. He wallers a lot and doesn't really use his arms to separate much. He is a space taker who disrupts by using his massive size to drive back the line much like Cody did. He probably will redshirt due to the fact they have 3 or 4 guys who can play nose. I look for him to contribute a lot in the future though.
Brandon Lewis- This is a guy I am really high on. He has 3 years to play 2, so he might redshirt if they want to plan their future depth around him, but if he plays this fall, I think he will play quite a bit. When he was in high school, I thought he had all the makings of a star, and from what I gather, he still can be. He's behind Davis and Square, but like Square he will probably see quite a bit of play. He is really good at working the stunts and uses his hands really well to keep linemen from getting inside to his chest. He needs to work a bit on his form, but the fundamentals were down before and should be now.
William Ming- Ming is a guy that seems to be in the hunt, but has not done anything to separate from the pack. He will play some this year, but I don't know the how much part since he's not really made a name for himself. Ming coming into college has a great motor and is very active off the rush end. He is a pure pass rusher and can move sideline to sideline, and is fast. He ran a 4.7 in high school. He can also play TE or Jack.
Brandon Moore- Moore redshirted last year and is deep on the nose depth chart, but has a lot of upside. He isn't a pass rusher, but he is a guy that can open lanes up for other defenders to rush through. That will be his role on the team is to create space for the Mike and Will to rush through.
Kerry Murphy- Murphy is running with the 1s and is 1A to Chapman's 1B. Murphy has a lot of upside and is probably one of the most unique athletes Bama has ever had. He uses his size against defenders, but uses his upper body strength to keep linemen off of him. He is a better run stopper than he is pass rusher. He is more of a Cody like player in that he just takes up space amongst 2 defenders. He has the power and technique to fight through those doubles and move towards the ball. He will get better as he gets more snaps. He should see a lot of snaps.
Anthony Orr- Orr is a guy that in time will be a really good contributor. Coming to Tuscaloosa, he looked the part, he's aggressive, hard working, and built to take the hits football brings its players. He is a bit raw though and in HS had a hard time keeping his body low and exploding up. He wants to get too high and loses position at times. When he stays down, he shows his power and can bend a guard or tackle backwards. I can see him maturing into a rush end down the road, but I don't expect to see him on the field for more than mop up for a year or 2.
Darrington Sentimore- He is a lot like Luther Davis. He has a lot of fan fare because he bucked LSU for the Tide, like Davis, and like Davis he will have to show he wants up the charts and earn the job. Sentimore is a rush end and reminds me a lot of Washington and Greenwood. I know that makes some mad, but that isn't a kick at the guy. They were both good players who worked hard. Sentimore has a really good first move and is best used when going over the open shoulder of a tackle, but struggles when he goes inside. In time, I can see him starting and being a good blue collar guy if he can bulk up some and continue to work on his hands and upper body.
Damion Square- Before he was hurt, I thought he was the next big thing at DE. He is just a strong, high motor, high fundamental player that a guy like me can enjoy watching play. He has a lot of football smarts and has so much power that he's almost impossible to play one on one. Putting him and Dareus side by side or book ending each other, will be deemed illegal by the NCAA probably. They are that good together.
Who is Gone?
Terrence Cody- Mount Cody toppled Rocky Top and probably increased future chiropractor revenues by 200%. Cody's ability to take up space and disrupt the running game for most teams in the SEC went a long ways towards Bama's success. His future in the NFL is as simple as this, if he wants to do the work, he'll be as good as any in the NFL at tackle, but if he slacks and doesn't keep the weight down, he'll be a short lived story.
Brandon Deaderick- Deaderick is as tough as any man I know. There aren't many that can be shot in the arm and play a few days later. Deaderick is a prototype 3-4 end that moves well inside the tackles and is able to shove linemen with ease. He may not be an all pro, but he can be a serviceable lineman in the NFL.
Lorenzo Washington- Zo took a long time to find the player he was, but his senior year was his best year by far. Zo is a guy that can play in the 4-3 or 3-4 at end/tackle. I don't know if he'll have a future in the NFL, but with the right team, he could be like BD.
Milton Talbert- Processed.
The Good...
The depth and talent is deep and very, very good
There may be a couple of starts under Dareus's belt and Chapman's belt, but what they lack in experience, they make up with interest on talent. The 3 deep roster for the defensive line is almost an All SEC list by itself.
Dareus being Dareus
I don't think there is a secret about his future, and I think folks will get to enjoy him rampaging this year as he's working on a ring for himself and a higher draft slot for the future draft.
Quality depth at nose
Chapman, Murphy, Ivory, and Moore all are quality nose tackles and as Saban knew in year one, and Georgia is going to find out this year, it all starts there. Having quality big men shutting down the middle is as vital a part as the 2 middle linebackers. Bama has a 4 deep of quality players there. Hint, UGA doesn't.
So many options, so few plays...hopefully
Last year, you could pretty well guarantee that Cody and a combo of Washington/Dareus/Deaderick would be on the field at any time. This year is no different, but they have so many players that can play inside or outside that it will be fun to see how they throw different things at them.
The Bad...
The experience factor isn't there this time
While talent is plentiful, experience isn't. One of the things that has fallen in the cracks with Bama fans is that what Deaderick, Cody, and Washington put on the field was experience in tough game situations. If you watch the Auburn game, the Tennessee game, and the Texas game, all three were games where at a certain point the team needed the defense to make a play, and they did. McClain and others got the starlight, but those three were the ones who locked down the middle and opened the lanes for others to shine. They probably have that, but it is not tested under duress yet.
The Ugly....
None yet.
Depth Chart
End- Dareus/Sentimore/Billingsley
Nose- Murphy/Chapman/Moore
End- Davis/Square/Lewis
Nickel/Dime
End- Upshaw
Tackle- Dareus
Tackle- Square/Chapman/Davis
End- Hightower or Stinson/ Chavis Williams
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