R
Rainer Sabin |
Alabama bid adieu to Reuben Foster, Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson. But the Tide has the talent in place to replace three of the Crimson Tide's top playmakers from 2016.
Barely two months have passed since Alabama lost to Clemson in the national title game. But spring practice is right around the corner. It starts Tuesday. AL.com will take a look at where the Crimson Tide stands in each position group as the offseason begins in earnest. The seventh in a nine-part series examines the team's linebackers.
Departed: Reuben Foster (115 tackles, 5 sacks), Ryan Anderson (61 tackles, 9 sacks), Tim Williams (31 tackles, 9 sacks)
New arrivals: Dylan Moses
Due to arrive in the fall: Markail Benton, VanDarius Cowan, Chris Allen
Projected depth chart:
ILB: Senior Shaun Dion Hamilton (64 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INTs), senior Rashaan Evans (53 tackles, 4 sacks), redshirt junior Keith Holcombe (24 tackles), sophomore Mack Wilson (8 tackles), freshman Dylan Moses, redshirt freshman Ben Davis, redshirt sophomore Joshua McMillon (n/A), redshirt sophomore Keaton Anderson (4 tackles)
OLB: Redshirt sophomore Anfernee Jennings (19 tackles), redshirt junior Christian Miller (16 tackles, 2 sacks), sophomore Terrell Hall (11 tackles, 1 sack), redshirt junior Jamey Mosley (N/A), redshirt sophomore Mekhi Brown (N/A), redshirt freshman Shawn Jennings (N/A)
Outlook:
When considering the impact Reuben Foster, Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams made last season, the thought of replacing them becomes almost unfathomable. They were the key playmakers in a linebacker corps tied to the nation's No. 1 defense.
Foster, from his perch in the middle, tracked ball carriers from sideline to sideline and delivered punishing hits. Anderson and Williams squeezed quarterbacks, coming off the edge before dropping them in the pocket while helping the Crimson Tide accumulate 54 sacks -- the top total in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
They won't soon be forgotten for their contributions. That's especially true for Foster, the Butkus Award winner who was the only front-seven defender on the field for more than 800 snaps.
But Alabama already has talented players in place capable of filling their shoes. Shaun Dion Hamilton will be back after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the SEC championship game. All he did before getting injured was make 64 tackles and intercept two passes. Rashaan Evans is also returning. The former five-star recruit is a versatile athlete, capable of playing on the outside and inside. Last season, in a backup role for most of the season, he collected only eight fewer stops than Anderson.
Hamilton and Evans will lead a group loaded with talent. Christian Miller, Terrell Hall and Anfernee Jennings have all flashed potential and they figure to grow into the kind of ferocious pass rushers Alabama is known for producing.
Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, in his first season on the job, showed a penchant for blitzing. So, don't expect the Tide to pull back the reins now that Williams and Anderson are no longer on the roster. In fact, Pruitt may be eager to deploy Dylan Moses -- the nation's No. 2 outside linebacker in the 2017 class who is already on campus. Moses, who could be slotted inside, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds since joining the team.
He could be the next big star -- following in the footsteps of Foster, Anderson and Williams.
Continue reading...
Barely two months have passed since Alabama lost to Clemson in the national title game. But spring practice is right around the corner. It starts Tuesday. AL.com will take a look at where the Crimson Tide stands in each position group as the offseason begins in earnest. The seventh in a nine-part series examines the team's linebackers.
Departed: Reuben Foster (115 tackles, 5 sacks), Ryan Anderson (61 tackles, 9 sacks), Tim Williams (31 tackles, 9 sacks)
New arrivals: Dylan Moses
Due to arrive in the fall: Markail Benton, VanDarius Cowan, Chris Allen
Projected depth chart:
ILB: Senior Shaun Dion Hamilton (64 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INTs), senior Rashaan Evans (53 tackles, 4 sacks), redshirt junior Keith Holcombe (24 tackles), sophomore Mack Wilson (8 tackles), freshman Dylan Moses, redshirt freshman Ben Davis, redshirt sophomore Joshua McMillon (n/A), redshirt sophomore Keaton Anderson (4 tackles)
OLB: Redshirt sophomore Anfernee Jennings (19 tackles), redshirt junior Christian Miller (16 tackles, 2 sacks), sophomore Terrell Hall (11 tackles, 1 sack), redshirt junior Jamey Mosley (N/A), redshirt sophomore Mekhi Brown (N/A), redshirt freshman Shawn Jennings (N/A)
Outlook:
When considering the impact Reuben Foster, Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams made last season, the thought of replacing them becomes almost unfathomable. They were the key playmakers in a linebacker corps tied to the nation's No. 1 defense.
Foster, from his perch in the middle, tracked ball carriers from sideline to sideline and delivered punishing hits. Anderson and Williams squeezed quarterbacks, coming off the edge before dropping them in the pocket while helping the Crimson Tide accumulate 54 sacks -- the top total in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
They won't soon be forgotten for their contributions. That's especially true for Foster, the Butkus Award winner who was the only front-seven defender on the field for more than 800 snaps.
But Alabama already has talented players in place capable of filling their shoes. Shaun Dion Hamilton will be back after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the SEC championship game. All he did before getting injured was make 64 tackles and intercept two passes. Rashaan Evans is also returning. The former five-star recruit is a versatile athlete, capable of playing on the outside and inside. Last season, in a backup role for most of the season, he collected only eight fewer stops than Anderson.
Hamilton and Evans will lead a group loaded with talent. Christian Miller, Terrell Hall and Anfernee Jennings have all flashed potential and they figure to grow into the kind of ferocious pass rushers Alabama is known for producing.
Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, in his first season on the job, showed a penchant for blitzing. So, don't expect the Tide to pull back the reins now that Williams and Anderson are no longer on the roster. In fact, Pruitt may be eager to deploy Dylan Moses -- the nation's No. 2 outside linebacker in the 2017 class who is already on campus. Moses, who could be slotted inside, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds since joining the team.
He could be the next big star -- following in the footsteps of Foster, Anderson and Williams.
Continue reading...
