September 1, 2015
Ben Jones
TideSports.com Staff Writer
Most five-star recruits already have high enough expectations placed upon them. But Marlon Humphrey's name created expectations even before the stars did.
Humphrey's father, Bobby, was an All-American running back for the University of Alabama in the 1980s. Marlon arrived at Alabama as the No. 9 player in the nation in the class of 2014. There would be no place for him to hide at Alabama.
Alabama Athletics
Marlon Humphrey was listed as a starting cornerback for Alabama on Monday's depth chart.
He'll take an even bigger step into the spotlight on Saturday. After redshirting last year, Humphrey was listed as a starting cornerback for Alabama on the depth chart released on Monday.
"Marlon has done a really, really good job this fall camp, and he's more confident on what to do and how to do it," UA coach Nick Saban said on Monday. "He's really worked hard in practice every day to improve himself. He's been very, very competitive and we've been very, very pleased with where he is."
Humphrey beat out two other highly-rated players to win the starting job opposite senior Cyrus Jones. Freshman Minkah Fitzpatrick and sophomore Tony Brown were both five-start recruits who competed with Humphrey for the position.
Brown, who started against Florida and Ole Miss, was listed along with Fitzpatrick as the second-teamers at left cornerback. Linebacker Dillon Lee said Humphrey had a strong showing in Alabama's first scrimmage in camp, then capitalized on that momentum.
"The deeper we got into camp, he's just been really establishing himself into the player he is," Lee said.
His redshirt year showed progress as well. Rivals.com listed him as 175 pounds as a recruit, but he's gained a significant amount of weight since then. Alabama lists him at 192 pounds.
More important was what he learned on the field in that time. Jones said Humphrey spent more time in the film room recently. The extra work shows in his reactions.
"He kind of struggled last year, as any young guy would," Jones said. "This year you just see he's more confident out there, just knowing the adjustments to make in certain situations. Just playing more kind of free and not thinking too much. You can definitely see it in everything he does now."
Saban said earlier in camp the starter at cornerback opposite Jones would be, "who gives up the fewest plays and who can be responsible and do their job."
Immediate expectations for Humphrey may be for him to keep things quiet on his side of the field. But further down the road, teammates see a day when he could do more.
"He's just real explosive," Jones said. "He's not scared to come up and tackle. He makes plays on the ball in the air. Definitely a guy you could look for to make plays on Saturdays."
- See more at: Marlon Humphrey begins his own legacy
Ben Jones
TideSports.com Staff Writer
Most five-star recruits already have high enough expectations placed upon them. But Marlon Humphrey's name created expectations even before the stars did.
Humphrey's father, Bobby, was an All-American running back for the University of Alabama in the 1980s. Marlon arrived at Alabama as the No. 9 player in the nation in the class of 2014. There would be no place for him to hide at Alabama.
Alabama Athletics
Marlon Humphrey was listed as a starting cornerback for Alabama on Monday's depth chart.
He'll take an even bigger step into the spotlight on Saturday. After redshirting last year, Humphrey was listed as a starting cornerback for Alabama on the depth chart released on Monday.
"Marlon has done a really, really good job this fall camp, and he's more confident on what to do and how to do it," UA coach Nick Saban said on Monday. "He's really worked hard in practice every day to improve himself. He's been very, very competitive and we've been very, very pleased with where he is."
Humphrey beat out two other highly-rated players to win the starting job opposite senior Cyrus Jones. Freshman Minkah Fitzpatrick and sophomore Tony Brown were both five-start recruits who competed with Humphrey for the position.
Brown, who started against Florida and Ole Miss, was listed along with Fitzpatrick as the second-teamers at left cornerback. Linebacker Dillon Lee said Humphrey had a strong showing in Alabama's first scrimmage in camp, then capitalized on that momentum.
"The deeper we got into camp, he's just been really establishing himself into the player he is," Lee said.
His redshirt year showed progress as well. Rivals.com listed him as 175 pounds as a recruit, but he's gained a significant amount of weight since then. Alabama lists him at 192 pounds.
More important was what he learned on the field in that time. Jones said Humphrey spent more time in the film room recently. The extra work shows in his reactions.
"He kind of struggled last year, as any young guy would," Jones said. "This year you just see he's more confident out there, just knowing the adjustments to make in certain situations. Just playing more kind of free and not thinking too much. You can definitely see it in everything he does now."
Saban said earlier in camp the starter at cornerback opposite Jones would be, "who gives up the fewest plays and who can be responsible and do their job."
Immediate expectations for Humphrey may be for him to keep things quiet on his side of the field. But further down the road, teammates see a day when he could do more.
"He's just real explosive," Jones said. "He's not scared to come up and tackle. He makes plays on the ball in the air. Definitely a guy you could look for to make plays on Saturdays."
- See more at: Marlon Humphrey begins his own legacy
