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Early praise for Anoma, Armour-Davis from SEC Media Days
ATLANTA -- While the quarterback battle and other topics dominated SEC Media Days for the Alabama contingent, there were still a couple questions asked about the Crimson Tideās newcomers.
Head coach Nick Saban was asked about a player he will be working closely with this fall -- 4-star cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis.
āHe has made very nice progress,ā Saban said of Armour-Davis. āHeās a fine young man. Heās got really good ability. Heās a hard worker. Heās bright. Heās been able to learn and make improvement over the summer, and hopefully, heāll continue that development and be able to contribute to the team this fall.
āI think itās going to be critical for us on defense that we have some young players -- over the entire defense, but most certainly in the secondary -- that are going to have to develop and mature into players that can play winning football at those positions for us. And Jalyn Armour-Davis is certainly one of those people that will have a chance to do that.ā
Listed at 6-foot-1, 181 pounds, Armour-Davis was the No. 2 player in the state of Alabama in the 2018 recruiting cycle, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. The nationās 13th-best cornerback will wear No. 22 and will compete for playing time in a UA secondary tasked with replacing all six starters in its dime package this offseason.
Another player that could contribute in his first year in Tuscaloosa, Ala., is 5-star linebacker Eyabi Anoma. With the ACL injury to junior Terrell Lewis, the Crimson Tide will need some of its younger players to step up and provide depth, and the pass-rusher could fill that role.
āEyabi, heās a great player,ā redshirt junior Anfernee Jennings said at the College Football Hall of Fame. āWe havenāt really got in pads yet, but so far, heās doing a great job in the conditioning program, working out, learning the playbook. Just trying to learn the game from the older guys and learn as much as he can, so Iām looking forward to seeing him.ā
Anoma was the top-ranked player in UAās 2018 signing class and the nationās No. 4 overall prospect, per the 247Sports Composite. Listed at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, he will wear No. 9 this year.
He, Armour-Davis and several of the Crimson Tideās other freshmen could make impacts as true freshmen this fall, continuing to crush the idea that first-year players never play at Alabama. Seventeen saw the field last year, including six that were on the first-team offense late in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia in Atlanta.
āWeāve always played a lot of freshmen ā¦ and those guys make a tremendous contribution to our team,ā Saban said. āAnd I think the expectation has changed through the years as how rapidly some freshmen who have the maturity, physically and emotionally, to be able to sustain the season, continue to focus and develop and improve can make a contribution to your team.
āAnd my obligation to our team is to play the best players, so I donāt care what grade theyāre in or where theyāre from or what their mailing address is, thatās kind of what we do. If theyāre better than somebody else then weāre going to give them every opportunity to play.ā
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ATLANTA -- While the quarterback battle and other topics dominated SEC Media Days for the Alabama contingent, there were still a couple questions asked about the Crimson Tideās newcomers.
Head coach Nick Saban was asked about a player he will be working closely with this fall -- 4-star cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis.
āHe has made very nice progress,ā Saban said of Armour-Davis. āHeās a fine young man. Heās got really good ability. Heās a hard worker. Heās bright. Heās been able to learn and make improvement over the summer, and hopefully, heāll continue that development and be able to contribute to the team this fall.
āI think itās going to be critical for us on defense that we have some young players -- over the entire defense, but most certainly in the secondary -- that are going to have to develop and mature into players that can play winning football at those positions for us. And Jalyn Armour-Davis is certainly one of those people that will have a chance to do that.ā
Listed at 6-foot-1, 181 pounds, Armour-Davis was the No. 2 player in the state of Alabama in the 2018 recruiting cycle, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. The nationās 13th-best cornerback will wear No. 22 and will compete for playing time in a UA secondary tasked with replacing all six starters in its dime package this offseason.
Another player that could contribute in his first year in Tuscaloosa, Ala., is 5-star linebacker Eyabi Anoma. With the ACL injury to junior Terrell Lewis, the Crimson Tide will need some of its younger players to step up and provide depth, and the pass-rusher could fill that role.
āEyabi, heās a great player,ā redshirt junior Anfernee Jennings said at the College Football Hall of Fame. āWe havenāt really got in pads yet, but so far, heās doing a great job in the conditioning program, working out, learning the playbook. Just trying to learn the game from the older guys and learn as much as he can, so Iām looking forward to seeing him.ā
Anoma was the top-ranked player in UAās 2018 signing class and the nationās No. 4 overall prospect, per the 247Sports Composite. Listed at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, he will wear No. 9 this year.
He, Armour-Davis and several of the Crimson Tideās other freshmen could make impacts as true freshmen this fall, continuing to crush the idea that first-year players never play at Alabama. Seventeen saw the field last year, including six that were on the first-team offense late in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia in Atlanta.
āWeāve always played a lot of freshmen ā¦ and those guys make a tremendous contribution to our team,ā Saban said. āAnd I think the expectation has changed through the years as how rapidly some freshmen who have the maturity, physically and emotionally, to be able to sustain the season, continue to focus and develop and improve can make a contribution to your team.
āAnd my obligation to our team is to play the best players, so I donāt care what grade theyāre in or where theyāre from or what their mailing address is, thatās kind of what we do. If theyāre better than somebody else then weāre going to give them every opportunity to play.ā
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