Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer
There aren't many talented high school football players from Ohio that escape the state borders.
If you can play, odds are you land at Ohio State University or somewhere else within the confines of the Big Ten.
But two recognizable players grew up in Ohio, a football-crazed state just the same as Alabama, and escaped the Midwest to venture south to play at Alabama, and both are multi-year starters for the Crimson Tide.
Senior middle linebacker Trey DePriest from Springfield, Ohio and junior center Ryan Kelly from Cincinnati have combined to start 58 games for Alabama (38 for DePriest, 20 for Kelly) during the course of their careers.
Kelly said he's already received friendly trash talk from some friends back home.
"I got some text messages about 'Always been your fan until this week,'" Kelly said.
Kelly grew up a Notre Dame fan and wasn't really recruited much by the Buckeyes. Truth be told, he doesn't have that many friends or family with Ohio State connections either.
"Being from Ohio you get a lot (of talk about Ohio State)," Kelly said. "Not as much as you'd think. Being from Cincinnati, all my friends go to Cincinnati or some rival schools like that. I've got a couple of buddies that go to Ohio State and I know some people there. I don't really know (any Ohio State players) personally. I don't think a lot of guys from Cincinnati that I grew up with or played with went to Ohio State. I don't really have any good friends that play for them."
Not a freshman
He hasn't missed a start all season despite a severe high ankle sprain and a shoulder separation. He's an integral part of the offensive line. He's also a freshman.
Cam Robinson earned the respect of his teammates early on.
Cam Robinson isn't a typical true freshman, playing every game for Alabama at left tackle, a position targeted by defenses. But through injuries and the best defensive linemen in the country, Robinson hasn't blinked.
His teammates immediately took notice and remain impressed.
"He's definitely a physical specimen," sophomore defensive end Jonathan Allen said. "When you look at him, you wouldn't think he was a freshman. He plays beyond his years. He has the confidence of a senior. He definitely has a lot of upside and a lot of potential. He's been great for us this year."
His bookend teammate at right tackle Austin Shepherd said it's amazing Robinson's been able to do what few can as freshman.
"I wasn't near mature enough to do that," Shepherd said. "When he first got here I was nervous. I wasn't really sure what was going to happen -- still a kid out of high school, missing home.
"I mean, he's really grown into a good player. Fought through a lot with all of the injuries he's had. I couldn't be more proud of him. I can't wait to see where he goes from here. The sky's the limit for him."
Going long
Junior cornerback Cyrus Jones has watched a little film of the Ohio State offense and one thing stuck out in his mind as he scouted the Buckeyes during their Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin.
They like to go deep.
"(They have) a lot of guys that can stretch the field and a quarterback who has a live arm," Jones said. "In the back of it, we've just got be in tip-top shape, just knowing what to expect in certain formations and stuff like that and what they like to, what routes they like to run the most. Just being ready. It's pretty much self-explanatory."
That is of particular concern to an Alabama secondary that has been prone to footballs going over their heads to opposing wide receivers for big plays.
In its last two games -- Auburn and Missouri -- opposing offenses made big plays deep down the field.
"A lot of those, I know for sure the Missouri game, we got good pass rush up front and the quarterback got out of the pocket," Jones said. "But we've just got to do a better job of staying with our man once the play breaks down and the quarterback gets to improvise and stuff like that.
"The Auburn game, I think we just - our eyes were in the wrong place a lot of the times, so we've just got to a better job of just looking at the right stuff and staying with our man on scrambles."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1717416#sthash.IT1qgh3Y.dpuf
TideSports.com Senior Writer
There aren't many talented high school football players from Ohio that escape the state borders.
If you can play, odds are you land at Ohio State University or somewhere else within the confines of the Big Ten.
But two recognizable players grew up in Ohio, a football-crazed state just the same as Alabama, and escaped the Midwest to venture south to play at Alabama, and both are multi-year starters for the Crimson Tide.
Senior middle linebacker Trey DePriest from Springfield, Ohio and junior center Ryan Kelly from Cincinnati have combined to start 58 games for Alabama (38 for DePriest, 20 for Kelly) during the course of their careers.
Kelly said he's already received friendly trash talk from some friends back home.
"I got some text messages about 'Always been your fan until this week,'" Kelly said.
Kelly grew up a Notre Dame fan and wasn't really recruited much by the Buckeyes. Truth be told, he doesn't have that many friends or family with Ohio State connections either.
"Being from Ohio you get a lot (of talk about Ohio State)," Kelly said. "Not as much as you'd think. Being from Cincinnati, all my friends go to Cincinnati or some rival schools like that. I've got a couple of buddies that go to Ohio State and I know some people there. I don't really know (any Ohio State players) personally. I don't think a lot of guys from Cincinnati that I grew up with or played with went to Ohio State. I don't really have any good friends that play for them."
Not a freshman
He hasn't missed a start all season despite a severe high ankle sprain and a shoulder separation. He's an integral part of the offensive line. He's also a freshman.
Cam Robinson earned the respect of his teammates early on.
Cam Robinson isn't a typical true freshman, playing every game for Alabama at left tackle, a position targeted by defenses. But through injuries and the best defensive linemen in the country, Robinson hasn't blinked.
His teammates immediately took notice and remain impressed.
"He's definitely a physical specimen," sophomore defensive end Jonathan Allen said. "When you look at him, you wouldn't think he was a freshman. He plays beyond his years. He has the confidence of a senior. He definitely has a lot of upside and a lot of potential. He's been great for us this year."
His bookend teammate at right tackle Austin Shepherd said it's amazing Robinson's been able to do what few can as freshman.
"I wasn't near mature enough to do that," Shepherd said. "When he first got here I was nervous. I wasn't really sure what was going to happen -- still a kid out of high school, missing home.
"I mean, he's really grown into a good player. Fought through a lot with all of the injuries he's had. I couldn't be more proud of him. I can't wait to see where he goes from here. The sky's the limit for him."
Going long
Junior cornerback Cyrus Jones has watched a little film of the Ohio State offense and one thing stuck out in his mind as he scouted the Buckeyes during their Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin.
They like to go deep.
"(They have) a lot of guys that can stretch the field and a quarterback who has a live arm," Jones said. "In the back of it, we've just got be in tip-top shape, just knowing what to expect in certain formations and stuff like that and what they like to, what routes they like to run the most. Just being ready. It's pretty much self-explanatory."
That is of particular concern to an Alabama secondary that has been prone to footballs going over their heads to opposing wide receivers for big plays.
In its last two games -- Auburn and Missouri -- opposing offenses made big plays deep down the field.
"A lot of those, I know for sure the Missouri game, we got good pass rush up front and the quarterback got out of the pocket," Jones said. "But we've just got to do a better job of staying with our man once the play breaks down and the quarterback gets to improvise and stuff like that.
"The Auburn game, I think we just - our eyes were in the wrong place a lot of the times, so we've just got to a better job of just looking at the right stuff and staying with our man on scrambles."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1717416#sthash.IT1qgh3Y.dpuf
