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When Isaiah Buggs arrived at the University of Alabama a year ago, he said it was āEither go hard or go home.ā As a junior college transfer, he knew the expectation was to fill a specific need and compete for playing time immediately.
Buggs did. He started 13 games and was credited with 51 tackles, including 4 for loss and 1.5 sacks, and 7 quarterback pressures. The numbers were good enough that he could have thought about going pro, although he says his focus was on other things.
That Alabama recently landed another junior college player to help with defensive line depth was welcome news to him.
āIām very excited about that,ā said Buggs, even though he doesnāt know much about Vita Musika other than heās a big defensive tackle from California.
No one really knew what to expect out of Buggs, either. The former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College player was rated the top junior college defensive player in the nation, but JUCO players have a reputation for being hit or miss at the next level, especially linemen.
Nevertheless, thereās a very different vibe surrounding the Crimson Tide defensive line from just a couple of months ago.
With just eight scholarship players between the three spots (Musika will be the ninth), and signee Christian Barmore not arriving until the summer, depth quickly became a big concern. Not only did Alabama have to deal with the departures of starters DaāRon Payne and DaāShawn Hand, but pair of key recruits decided at the last second to go elsewhere.
Moreover, defensive line coach Karl Dunbar returned to the NFL, hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team that had drafted him out of LSU in 1990.
Among the position groups, the line was probably second only to the secondary, which lost all six starters in the dime package, in terms of offseason anxiety.
That started to change with the addition of Craig Kuligowski to the staff, an assistant coach with such a strong reputation that the rest of college football seemed to collectively go, āuh ohā with his addition.
Kuligowski was hired away from Miami, which could see three or four defensive linemen selected in the upcoming NFL draft. Heās better known for his 15 years at Missouri, where he coached 24 all-conference players.
Since 2009, he had four players selected in the first round and eight overall, during a time period when Missouri had only 27 players picked. The group includes the 2013 and 2014 SEC Defensive Player of the Year winners, with Michael Sam (18 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks) sharing the first award with Crimson Tide linebacker C.J. Mosley, and Shane Ray 22.5 and 14.5, respectively).
Alabama has had 12 defensive linemen drafted over the same period, but just two in the first round (Marcell Dareus and Jonathan Allen), while having a much stronger recruiting base. Kuligowski had just one consensus 5-star recruit and one 4-star player according to the 247Sports composite rankings. The rest were considered 2- and 3-star prospects.
āHe is an outstanding football coach who will bring great energy to our program,ā Nick Saban said in a release when the hire was announced. āCraig does a tremendous job of developing players and has proven to be an exceptional recruiter.ā
Alabamaās spring practice has been underway for just a couple of weeks, and so far the defensive linemen have primarily been working on pass rushing, but consider Buggs already impressed.
āWhen you have a coach like that who has produced that many first-rounders, you know that you hired the best,ā the senior said. āHeās coming along and learning the new system very well. Weāre all just getting along. Weāre going to be great this year.ā
Notice that he didnāt say good, but āgreat.ā
Buggs and junior Raekwon Davis (listed as 6-foot-7, 308 pounds) are expected to be the starting ends with senior Johnny Dwight (6-3, 301) and redshirt freshman Phidarian Mathis (6-4, 308) working the middle with Musika when he arrives. Sophomore LaBryan Ray (6-5, 280) figures to step up into the rotation in a big way and early enrollee Stephon Wynn (6-4, 308) was a prize recruit.
Yet the player to watch is Quinnen Williams (6-4, 289).
His teammates have been talking about his potential for two years. As a redshirt freshman last season, he was fourth on the team with 6.5 tackles for a loss, to go with 20 tackles, 2 sacks and 3 hurries.
Plus, heās exactly the kind of technique-driven player that Kuligowski has been known to develop.
āGreat coach,ā Buggs said. āHe knows what heās doing.ā
On the Beat: From concern to confidence, Alabama defensive line could be real strength
Buggs did. He started 13 games and was credited with 51 tackles, including 4 for loss and 1.5 sacks, and 7 quarterback pressures. The numbers were good enough that he could have thought about going pro, although he says his focus was on other things.
That Alabama recently landed another junior college player to help with defensive line depth was welcome news to him.
āIām very excited about that,ā said Buggs, even though he doesnāt know much about Vita Musika other than heās a big defensive tackle from California.
No one really knew what to expect out of Buggs, either. The former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College player was rated the top junior college defensive player in the nation, but JUCO players have a reputation for being hit or miss at the next level, especially linemen.
Nevertheless, thereās a very different vibe surrounding the Crimson Tide defensive line from just a couple of months ago.
With just eight scholarship players between the three spots (Musika will be the ninth), and signee Christian Barmore not arriving until the summer, depth quickly became a big concern. Not only did Alabama have to deal with the departures of starters DaāRon Payne and DaāShawn Hand, but pair of key recruits decided at the last second to go elsewhere.
Moreover, defensive line coach Karl Dunbar returned to the NFL, hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team that had drafted him out of LSU in 1990.
Among the position groups, the line was probably second only to the secondary, which lost all six starters in the dime package, in terms of offseason anxiety.
That started to change with the addition of Craig Kuligowski to the staff, an assistant coach with such a strong reputation that the rest of college football seemed to collectively go, āuh ohā with his addition.
Kuligowski was hired away from Miami, which could see three or four defensive linemen selected in the upcoming NFL draft. Heās better known for his 15 years at Missouri, where he coached 24 all-conference players.
Since 2009, he had four players selected in the first round and eight overall, during a time period when Missouri had only 27 players picked. The group includes the 2013 and 2014 SEC Defensive Player of the Year winners, with Michael Sam (18 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks) sharing the first award with Crimson Tide linebacker C.J. Mosley, and Shane Ray 22.5 and 14.5, respectively).
Alabama has had 12 defensive linemen drafted over the same period, but just two in the first round (Marcell Dareus and Jonathan Allen), while having a much stronger recruiting base. Kuligowski had just one consensus 5-star recruit and one 4-star player according to the 247Sports composite rankings. The rest were considered 2- and 3-star prospects.
āHe is an outstanding football coach who will bring great energy to our program,ā Nick Saban said in a release when the hire was announced. āCraig does a tremendous job of developing players and has proven to be an exceptional recruiter.ā
Alabamaās spring practice has been underway for just a couple of weeks, and so far the defensive linemen have primarily been working on pass rushing, but consider Buggs already impressed.
āWhen you have a coach like that who has produced that many first-rounders, you know that you hired the best,ā the senior said. āHeās coming along and learning the new system very well. Weāre all just getting along. Weāre going to be great this year.ā
Notice that he didnāt say good, but āgreat.ā
Buggs and junior Raekwon Davis (listed as 6-foot-7, 308 pounds) are expected to be the starting ends with senior Johnny Dwight (6-3, 301) and redshirt freshman Phidarian Mathis (6-4, 308) working the middle with Musika when he arrives. Sophomore LaBryan Ray (6-5, 280) figures to step up into the rotation in a big way and early enrollee Stephon Wynn (6-4, 308) was a prize recruit.
Yet the player to watch is Quinnen Williams (6-4, 289).
His teammates have been talking about his potential for two years. As a redshirt freshman last season, he was fourth on the team with 6.5 tackles for a loss, to go with 20 tackles, 2 sacks and 3 hurries.
Plus, heās exactly the kind of technique-driven player that Kuligowski has been known to develop.
āGreat coach,ā Buggs said. āHe knows what heās doing.ā
On the Beat: From concern to confidence, Alabama defensive line could be real strength
