From his blog on the SEC
One of the more popular questions this offseason surrounding the Alabama football program was how the Crimson Tide would get down to the NCAA scholarship limit of 85.
In football vernacular, it's called "trish" or attrition.
Reports out of Alabama surfaced this week that receiver/defensive back Chris Jackson and outside linebacker Brandon Fanney were both in the process of transferring. They join a handful of other players who'd already decided to leave the program.
The Crimson Tide are still somewhere around 90 players, so there will be a few more to go. The other thing you might see is select players going off scholarship and paying their own way. The roster won't be set until August.
Jackson played primarily on special teams last season as a freshman, but Fanney was a 14-game starter at Alabama's hybrid Jack linebacker position in 2008 and finished third on the team in tackles.
However, he wasn't on the field a lot when the Crimson Tide went to five and six defensive backs and wound up with just one sack.
Here's the other thing: The writing was already on the wall that sophomore Dont'a Hightower, a budding star, was probably going to slide into that role as Alabama's Jack linebacker and be used more as a pass-rusher.
Hightower's the kind of talent who can be a difference-maker wherever he lines up. And wherever that is, there won't be many situations this season when he and Rolando McClain aren't both in the game.
One of the more popular questions this offseason surrounding the Alabama football program was how the Crimson Tide would get down to the NCAA scholarship limit of 85.
In football vernacular, it's called "trish" or attrition.
Reports out of Alabama surfaced this week that receiver/defensive back Chris Jackson and outside linebacker Brandon Fanney were both in the process of transferring. They join a handful of other players who'd already decided to leave the program.
The Crimson Tide are still somewhere around 90 players, so there will be a few more to go. The other thing you might see is select players going off scholarship and paying their own way. The roster won't be set until August.
Jackson played primarily on special teams last season as a freshman, but Fanney was a 14-game starter at Alabama's hybrid Jack linebacker position in 2008 and finished third on the team in tackles.
However, he wasn't on the field a lot when the Crimson Tide went to five and six defensive backs and wound up with just one sack.
Here's the other thing: The writing was already on the wall that sophomore Dont'a Hightower, a budding star, was probably going to slide into that role as Alabama's Jack linebacker and be used more as a pass-rusher.
Hightower's the kind of talent who can be a difference-maker wherever he lines up. And wherever that is, there won't be many situations this season when he and Rolando McClain aren't both in the game.
