1. Da'Ron Payne is the next great Alabama defensive lineman
The Alabama defensive line has been the natural habitat of some scary creatures. ... Guys who have knocked Colt McCoy out of a national title game to win it ... Guys who have blocked two field goals in a game to beat Tennessee ... Guys who have been drafted regularly by the NFL every spring.
This fall, Nick Saban is going to trot out one of the best he's ever had in sophomore Da'Ron Payne.
Sources around the Alabama program are saying that Payne, a five-star recruit in the class of 2015 per the 247Sports Composite, is the best defensive lineman in Tuscaloosa since Marcell Dareus, who executed the aforementioned knockout of McCoy. Payne is big at 6-foot-2, 319 pounds but it's his freaky athleticism at that size that makes him unique.
When Payne was coming out of high school, he was as good as anyone in the country for one rep but I never knew which Payne I was going to get from event to event. When he would show up in shape and motivated, he would dominate but he wasn't always in shape and he wasn't always motivated. At Alabama, Payne has gotten motivated and in shape. Motor is a non-issue.
If Payne stays healthy and dominates up front like I expect him to, that entire Alabama defense will benefit and another national title run could be in the cards.
(Video at the link as well.)
College football 2016 Barton Simmons on Dalvin Cook, Daron Payne
The Alabama defensive line has been the natural habitat of some scary creatures. ... Guys who have knocked Colt McCoy out of a national title game to win it ... Guys who have blocked two field goals in a game to beat Tennessee ... Guys who have been drafted regularly by the NFL every spring.
This fall, Nick Saban is going to trot out one of the best he's ever had in sophomore Da'Ron Payne.
Sources around the Alabama program are saying that Payne, a five-star recruit in the class of 2015 per the 247Sports Composite, is the best defensive lineman in Tuscaloosa since Marcell Dareus, who executed the aforementioned knockout of McCoy. Payne is big at 6-foot-2, 319 pounds but it's his freaky athleticism at that size that makes him unique.
When Payne was coming out of high school, he was as good as anyone in the country for one rep but I never knew which Payne I was going to get from event to event. When he would show up in shape and motivated, he would dominate but he wasn't always in shape and he wasn't always motivated. At Alabama, Payne has gotten motivated and in shape. Motor is a non-issue.
If Payne stays healthy and dominates up front like I expect him to, that entire Alabama defense will benefit and another national title run could be in the cards.
(Video at the link as well.)
College football 2016 Barton Simmons on Dalvin Cook, Daron Payne
