🏈 Alabama top ten "What if " Players

[Justneedme81]

Duron Carter.

Who? He never existed.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

I have to think about those with careers altered due to injury...Kerry Goode, Gene Jelks, Marvin Constant, Prothro...

I think I've read this article twice on Alan Gray, talking about playing with a separated throwing shoulder his entire time at Bama, yet starting his senior season and getting the treasured "take it in" from Coach Bryant.

'Take It In': The Story of Alan Gray

Despite an injured throwing shoulder that plagued him for his entire career, Gray started six games in 1981 and led the Crimson Tide to an SEC title

www.si.com

In terms of those injured and gutting it out, hard not to mention Lane Bearden at this point...

 

[UAgrad93]

I have to think about those with careers altered due to injury...Kerry Goode, Gene Jelks, Marvin Constant, Prothro...

I think I've read this article twice on Alan Gray, talking about playing with a separated throwing shoulder his entire time at Bama, yet starting his senior season and getting the treasured "take it in" from Coach Bryant.

'Take It In': The Story of Alan Gray

Despite an injured throwing shoulder that plagued him for his entire career, Gray started six games in 1981 and led the Crimson Tide to an SEC title

www.si.com

In terms of those injured and gutting it out, hard not to mention Lane Bearden at this point...

Kerry Goode is one that I truly felt could've been our first Heisman winner had he not suffered that knee injury.

 

[UAgrad93]

As far guys never making it to campus, Titus Ryan. Outstanding athlete with world class speed. I saw him compete in the HS state track meet his senior season and he was a HOSS!!! 100m, 200m, 4x100 relay and I think 400m and 4x400 relay all winners and records as well. All at 6'2" 220 pounds.

 

[Rolltide24]

As far guys never making it to campus, Titus Ryan. Outstanding athlete with world class speed. I saw him compete in the HS state track meet his senior season and he was a HOSS!!! 100m, 200m, 4x100 relay and I think 400m and 4x400 relay all winners and records as well. All at 6'2" 220 pounds.

Great call, I’d forgotten about him. He was a freak of a human being. Here’s a good article on him from a couple years back. How many guys missed out of meeting their potential in sports due to their grades? And if they’d come along in a different era, it may not have been an issue. Timing is everything.

Chasing Titus: The Gridiron Odyssey Of Tuscaloosa County's Fastest Man

Here's our exhaustive profile of former TCHS standout Titus Ryan, arguably the greatest football story you haven't thought about in years.

patch.com

 

[Nothing_But_A_Winner00]

Ivan Matchett's may have been the first recruiting highlights I ever watched. I think he was part of the 08 class, but I don't know what happened after that.

 

[TerryP]

Ivan Matchett's may have been the first recruiting highlights I ever watched. I think he was part of the 08 class, but I don't know what happened after that.

Injured and had to retire from football.

 

[TerryP]

@Nothing_But_A_Winner00 one other note ...

That was right at the beginning of the years we saw a lot of rival fans, and a few media folk, talking bitching about the use of medical scholaships.

 

[ElephantStomp]

Trey Sanders.

 

[Secondand26]

I guess the one I was most disappointed / let down about, was from the Curry/Stallings era.
He was fleet of foot, bigger than Mount Cody, and had a better arm than Namath.
Yet he didn't pan out.
Yes, I'm talking about UAgrad93 !
I still can't believe that with his lineage & high school training he didn't break all of the records!

 

[UAgrad93]

I guess the one I was most disappointed / let down about, was from the Curry/Stallings era.
He was fleet of foot, bigger than Mount Cody, and had a better arm than Namath.
Yet he didn't pan out.
Yes, I'm talking about UAgrad93 !
I still can't believe that with his lineage & high school training he didn't break all of the records!

Injuries and the fact mom and dad were paying my way changed my view on an education at the Capstone. Seriously though, I had a partial tear to my rotator cuff my senior year at Corner and every school that recruited me bailed except for OL coach Jim Fuller and UA. I fought and clawed that first fall with Curry and then he bailed. Coach Stallings and more so, Coach Moore didn’t have anything invested in me so he sent me with Coach Bill Oliver and the DBs. After that 90 season, Coach Moore told me after Spring that I didn’t need to report back until once classes started. Little did I know that the NCAA set a summer roster limit and then allowed for an increase once classes started. I got in my feelings and quit. Realized years later that Coach Moore just didn’t know how to explain it. I had a blast those two years but my grades suffered and you know my parents, especially my mom, wasn’t going to allow my grades to suffer. Once I stepped away, my class load increased and so did my GPA.