With the holiday season bringing very little news in regard to the football team and the recruiting trail growing cold due to the dead period and very few slots left it seemed like as good of a time as any to look back at the 2007 class in terms of how they have fared this season and what to expect in 2008.
Even with a limited time on the recruiting trail (31 days,) Saban and his newly formed staff proceeded to take the responsibility fiercely when they moved away from a lot of the recruits the Shula staff had centered on and filled the class of ’07 with 12 recruits Shula had received commitments from and adding 12 more players that the Saban staff felt were very promising recruits.
(While some of the incoming freshman may contribute, perhaps start, they are not included in this review.)
Josh Chapman (DL) was recruited to fill a glaring need Alabama has had on defense the last couple of years. His high school coach, Rush Propst of Hoover High, described him as one of the best lineman he’s seen come through the Hoover program. One of Josh’s strong points in high school was being able to beat the opposing offensive lineman and get pressure on the Quarterback.
Last year Chapman played in the first three games of this season and was showing progress with each game. One of the things that held Josh back this season was his struggles with injuries as the season progressed which limited his practice time and in turn his playing time. Like most freshman, Josh will benefit greatly in the off-season, in particular Saban’s “4th quarter program.”
Chapman looks to fit in the Defensive Tackle rotation next season. Lorenzo Washington is the returning starter with Brian Motley, Alfred McUllough, Nick Gentry and Chapman in the rotation behind him.
Luther Davis (DE) attracted a lot of attention with his commitment last season largely due to the fact he had declared he was going to attend LSU and then decided he was a better fit for the defensive plans Saban had for the Crimson Tide.
Luther did see playing time this year in six of Alabama’s twelve regular season games. He, as a lot of freshman find out their first year, only saw playing time on a limited basis with the starters entrenched ahead of him; mainly Wallace Gilberry. His improvement from game to game was evident and the future looks bright for Davis.
Next season we’ll see a good number of defensive ends see the playing field. Alabama only returns one starter, Brandon Deadrick, and there will be a lot of competition on who fills Gilberry’s shoes. Along with Davis, Bobby Greenwood, Milton Talbert, and Jeremy Elder will be fighting for the starting position.
Jeremy Elder (DE) is one of the players mentioned earlier in the fight for playing time in the defensive end position. He hails from Columbus Park, GA and was one of the coveted players nationwide out of the Peach State. While Davis had a few opportunities for playing time the Alabama coaching staff decided to redshirt Elder from day one. He caught the attention of everyone the day he arrived on campus because of his athleticism and strength. He will only get better after this past season combined with the off-season programs this spring.
Tarence Farmer (DB) is another of the ’07 class who has been redshirted. Recruited mainly as a cornerback due to his size and speed, it is doubtful we’ll see Tarence as a backup next year in our CB rotation. However, with the graduation of Simeon Castille, who played the Star position in our nickel and dime sets, it’s likely we’ll see Farmer compete for playing time in passing down situations.
Nick Gentry (DT) was one of the crucial fills in the ’07 class with the lack of quality depth for Saban’s 3-4 defensive scheme. Nick is one of the players the Alabama staff will submit to the NCAA in hopes of gaining an extra year of eligibility under the hardship/medical redshirt provisions. Gentry, unable to participate in this year’s fall practice due to surgery, earned his way on the field due to his hard work in rehabilitation. He saw a little action during the Georgia game due to the injuries that plagued the NT/DT rotation this season.
Nick has a very promising future but like Josh Chapman will have a journey ahead of him to fit into the NG/DT tackle rotation. The possibility of seeing Nick in goal line and short yardage situations seems very likely.
Jennings Hester (LB) could probably be best described as one of the few “project players” out of the ’07 class. With Hester, no one has the slightest doubt about his desire to succeed on the field of play which has been demonstrated by his tireless efforts in our strength and conditioning program during his redshirt freshman year. And, because of that approach, he hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Tide staff this fall.
Projected as an inside linebacker, he’s one of the players we’ll have to watch closely as the ’08 season rolls around. With so many pure athletes coming in with the ’08 class, it’s hard to anticipate where he might fall in our rotation. Putting the incoming talent aside, he looks to be a primary back-up, along with Charlie Higganbotham, backing up Rolando McClain and Prince Hall. Charlie and Jennings both have a great instinct for the position and would be able to provide quality rest minutes for the starting duo.
Kareem Jackson (DB) is a name that shouldn’t need any comments written about him. Jackson graduated in December of ’06 which allowed him to enroll days after signing his letter of intent which allowed him to participate in the spring drills of ’07. To say it paid off may be the biggest understatement of the year.
Kareem played in all 12 game so far this year and earned a starting role before the season ended. With the loss of Castille, Bama fans can relax a little knowing one side of the field will be covered very well. Marquis Johnson; Javier Arenas; Lionel Mitchell; Tremayne Coger and Terance Farmer will compete for back-up roles in the CB position this spring.
Chris Lett (DB) was a very highly regarded defensive back out of Pensacola, FL. In fact, most thought that Lett has as much, if not more, potential to see action in his true freshman year than Kareem Jackson. Unfortunately, Chris wasn’t able to play or practice in the ’07 season due to health problems related to diabetes. Saban spoke about Lett recently and the prognosis looks promising. If he is able to overcome these difficulties he should be able to contribute at the cornerback or safety position.
Rolando McClain (LB) was in an interview just about a month ago discussing with Wallace Gilberry discussing the season of up’s and down’s that was 2007. At the last of that interview Gilberry turned to McClain and told him, “It’s your defense now.”
Even with the loss of Mustin on defense the Tide looks to be in good hands for the next few years with McClain leading the way. It didn’t take Rolando long to earn a starting position on the team. McClain registered 8 starts this year along with 70 tackles. The Alabama fan base couldn’t ask for a better example of what it takes for a true freshman to come in and contribute in a BIG way.
Alfred McUllough (DT) joins Nick Gentry as one of the future DT/NG’s stars of the Alabama defense. He’s another of the defensive squad that took a few snaps in his true freshman year but was hampered by injury. The staff looks to apply for a hardship/medical redshirt for Alfred.
While there are going to be several positions of great interest to watch this spring to see how the depth chart works its own way out the defensive tackle position could be the most intriguing. We’ve already seen the progress Washington and Motley have had this season and now when we combine the athleticism of McUllough, not to mention Chapman, the spring camp couldn’t get here fast enough.
Alex Watkins (LB), another one of the out-of-state commitments our staff landed in ’07. Watkins, the 3rd best player in the state of TN and the 5th best DE overall by Rivals, is another player that is projected as DE in high school but fits the linebacker profile Saban likes so well.
Watkins has the size and speed that Saban prefers in the JACK position on defense and will compete for a
starting role in the ’08 season. He enjoyed a redshirt year in ’07 which has allowed him to bulk up more along with learning one of the more complex positions in our defensive scheme. With Ezekial Knight having the other outside linebacker starting role practically sewn up, the competition between Watkins and Chavis Williams is going to be another great spring story line.
Chavis Williams’ story reads much like Alex Watkins. Both players were rated highly as defensive ends coming out of high school but our staff saw potential for both in our line backing corps.
Williams should have a “leg-up” on Watkins for the starting role in the JACK position when considering he did see action in seven games so far this season. In ’07, Williams served as one of the primary back-ups for Ezekial Knight.
In a few days we’ll look at the offensive side of the ball in more detail.
Even with a limited time on the recruiting trail (31 days,) Saban and his newly formed staff proceeded to take the responsibility fiercely when they moved away from a lot of the recruits the Shula staff had centered on and filled the class of ’07 with 12 recruits Shula had received commitments from and adding 12 more players that the Saban staff felt were very promising recruits.
(While some of the incoming freshman may contribute, perhaps start, they are not included in this review.)
Josh Chapman (DL) was recruited to fill a glaring need Alabama has had on defense the last couple of years. His high school coach, Rush Propst of Hoover High, described him as one of the best lineman he’s seen come through the Hoover program. One of Josh’s strong points in high school was being able to beat the opposing offensive lineman and get pressure on the Quarterback.
Last year Chapman played in the first three games of this season and was showing progress with each game. One of the things that held Josh back this season was his struggles with injuries as the season progressed which limited his practice time and in turn his playing time. Like most freshman, Josh will benefit greatly in the off-season, in particular Saban’s “4th quarter program.”
Chapman looks to fit in the Defensive Tackle rotation next season. Lorenzo Washington is the returning starter with Brian Motley, Alfred McUllough, Nick Gentry and Chapman in the rotation behind him.
Luther Davis (DE) attracted a lot of attention with his commitment last season largely due to the fact he had declared he was going to attend LSU and then decided he was a better fit for the defensive plans Saban had for the Crimson Tide.
Luther did see playing time this year in six of Alabama’s twelve regular season games. He, as a lot of freshman find out their first year, only saw playing time on a limited basis with the starters entrenched ahead of him; mainly Wallace Gilberry. His improvement from game to game was evident and the future looks bright for Davis.
Next season we’ll see a good number of defensive ends see the playing field. Alabama only returns one starter, Brandon Deadrick, and there will be a lot of competition on who fills Gilberry’s shoes. Along with Davis, Bobby Greenwood, Milton Talbert, and Jeremy Elder will be fighting for the starting position.
Jeremy Elder (DE) is one of the players mentioned earlier in the fight for playing time in the defensive end position. He hails from Columbus Park, GA and was one of the coveted players nationwide out of the Peach State. While Davis had a few opportunities for playing time the Alabama coaching staff decided to redshirt Elder from day one. He caught the attention of everyone the day he arrived on campus because of his athleticism and strength. He will only get better after this past season combined with the off-season programs this spring.
Tarence Farmer (DB) is another of the ’07 class who has been redshirted. Recruited mainly as a cornerback due to his size and speed, it is doubtful we’ll see Tarence as a backup next year in our CB rotation. However, with the graduation of Simeon Castille, who played the Star position in our nickel and dime sets, it’s likely we’ll see Farmer compete for playing time in passing down situations.
Nick Gentry (DT) was one of the crucial fills in the ’07 class with the lack of quality depth for Saban’s 3-4 defensive scheme. Nick is one of the players the Alabama staff will submit to the NCAA in hopes of gaining an extra year of eligibility under the hardship/medical redshirt provisions. Gentry, unable to participate in this year’s fall practice due to surgery, earned his way on the field due to his hard work in rehabilitation. He saw a little action during the Georgia game due to the injuries that plagued the NT/DT rotation this season.
Nick has a very promising future but like Josh Chapman will have a journey ahead of him to fit into the NG/DT tackle rotation. The possibility of seeing Nick in goal line and short yardage situations seems very likely.
Jennings Hester (LB) could probably be best described as one of the few “project players” out of the ’07 class. With Hester, no one has the slightest doubt about his desire to succeed on the field of play which has been demonstrated by his tireless efforts in our strength and conditioning program during his redshirt freshman year. And, because of that approach, he hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Tide staff this fall.
Projected as an inside linebacker, he’s one of the players we’ll have to watch closely as the ’08 season rolls around. With so many pure athletes coming in with the ’08 class, it’s hard to anticipate where he might fall in our rotation. Putting the incoming talent aside, he looks to be a primary back-up, along with Charlie Higganbotham, backing up Rolando McClain and Prince Hall. Charlie and Jennings both have a great instinct for the position and would be able to provide quality rest minutes for the starting duo.
Kareem Jackson (DB) is a name that shouldn’t need any comments written about him. Jackson graduated in December of ’06 which allowed him to enroll days after signing his letter of intent which allowed him to participate in the spring drills of ’07. To say it paid off may be the biggest understatement of the year.
Kareem played in all 12 game so far this year and earned a starting role before the season ended. With the loss of Castille, Bama fans can relax a little knowing one side of the field will be covered very well. Marquis Johnson; Javier Arenas; Lionel Mitchell; Tremayne Coger and Terance Farmer will compete for back-up roles in the CB position this spring.
Chris Lett (DB) was a very highly regarded defensive back out of Pensacola, FL. In fact, most thought that Lett has as much, if not more, potential to see action in his true freshman year than Kareem Jackson. Unfortunately, Chris wasn’t able to play or practice in the ’07 season due to health problems related to diabetes. Saban spoke about Lett recently and the prognosis looks promising. If he is able to overcome these difficulties he should be able to contribute at the cornerback or safety position.
Rolando McClain (LB) was in an interview just about a month ago discussing with Wallace Gilberry discussing the season of up’s and down’s that was 2007. At the last of that interview Gilberry turned to McClain and told him, “It’s your defense now.”
Even with the loss of Mustin on defense the Tide looks to be in good hands for the next few years with McClain leading the way. It didn’t take Rolando long to earn a starting position on the team. McClain registered 8 starts this year along with 70 tackles. The Alabama fan base couldn’t ask for a better example of what it takes for a true freshman to come in and contribute in a BIG way.
Alfred McUllough (DT) joins Nick Gentry as one of the future DT/NG’s stars of the Alabama defense. He’s another of the defensive squad that took a few snaps in his true freshman year but was hampered by injury. The staff looks to apply for a hardship/medical redshirt for Alfred.
While there are going to be several positions of great interest to watch this spring to see how the depth chart works its own way out the defensive tackle position could be the most intriguing. We’ve already seen the progress Washington and Motley have had this season and now when we combine the athleticism of McUllough, not to mention Chapman, the spring camp couldn’t get here fast enough.
Alex Watkins (LB), another one of the out-of-state commitments our staff landed in ’07. Watkins, the 3rd best player in the state of TN and the 5th best DE overall by Rivals, is another player that is projected as DE in high school but fits the linebacker profile Saban likes so well.
Watkins has the size and speed that Saban prefers in the JACK position on defense and will compete for a
starting role in the ’08 season. He enjoyed a redshirt year in ’07 which has allowed him to bulk up more along with learning one of the more complex positions in our defensive scheme. With Ezekial Knight having the other outside linebacker starting role practically sewn up, the competition between Watkins and Chavis Williams is going to be another great spring story line.
Chavis Williams’ story reads much like Alex Watkins. Both players were rated highly as defensive ends coming out of high school but our staff saw potential for both in our line backing corps.
Williams should have a “leg-up” on Watkins for the starting role in the JACK position when considering he did see action in seven games so far this season. In ’07, Williams served as one of the primary back-ups for Ezekial Knight.
In a few days we’ll look at the offensive side of the ball in more detail.
