Nick Saban is known for hoarding weapons of mass destruction, as we saw last year when he dropped the 240lb bomb, Derrick Henry, on the NCAA. This year Nick has one that's been under the radar but, none the less, maybe two times as destructive. Trevon Diggs is the younger brother of Stephon Diggs,the highly talented WR for the Minnesota Vikings. Nick Saban speaks very highly of this guy and Nick rarely speaks highly about freshman this way, so Trevon must be the real deal.
“Trevon Diggs is a very talented guy,” Saban said. “We certainly feel like he’s a guy that can make plays as a receiver, so we want to try to utilize that ability. We’re a little bit deeper at receiver right now so it would be a little bit more difficult to get him the playing time that we feel he deserves. So we have some depth issues in the secondary.
“He played defensive back very well in high school, actually talked about playing defensive back when he was being recruited, so we thought he was the best guy to try to get some repetitions with that could help us in the secondary. He’s handled it very well.”
Trevon will share kickoff return duties with wide receiver Ardaruis Stewart. Trevon has lined up at multiple positions since arriving to Tuscaloosa this summer, including receiver, safety and return man.
Diggs is also the second-team punt returner, behind Calvin Ridley, on the depth chart. Diggs was the No. 4 athlete, No. 5 player in Maryland and 114 overall prospect in the 2016 recruiting cycle.
Reuben Foster simply destroyed offenders last year. If Reuben had a
clear shot on an opponent, it was a guarantee lights out moment.
Everyone remembers his hit on Leonard Fournette as a freshman, when
Foster completely decleated the Heisman hopeful on a kickoff return.
Now, Leonard Fournette is petrified in fear when he faces the Tide, as
we saw last year, the poor guy couldn’t even amass over yards. We expect
more of the same, as the soul reaper is now the leader of the Crimson
Tide’s vicious defense this year.
Reuben Foster #10
Junior LB
6-1 240 Auburn, AL
Foster amassed 73 tackles last season, enough for second on the team behind Reggie Ragland, eight for loss, two sacks, three quarterback hurries and nine pass break-ups. He has 107 career tackles with 11 tackles for loss, three sacks and nine pass breakups.
Foster is primed to dominate for the Tide this year, as he has lost weight and is much faster and more agile than ever. I'm sure offenses are shivering in their cleats right now.
This Pre -Season has proved a warning to the rest of the country, that the Tide is preparing to take over the NFL. Nick Saban coached products have displayed a level of athleticism this year that will be unmatched by opponents throughout the league. 1. Eddie is ready.
Eddie Lacy, the 2013 rookie of the year, and two time 1,000 plus yard rusher, has run for 114yds and averaged 6.0 hrs per carry this pre-season. Watching Lacy run through and around defenders this pre-season is reminiscent of his days at Alabama, when he shred CFB defenses easier than wet toilet paper. It looks like our superstar is back and hungry. 2. Derrick Henry is a monster.
NFL teams are kicking themselves in the butts, for passing up this jewel in the first round of the NFL draft. After just three pre-season games Henry has rushed for 154yds and 2 TDs. Every time Henry touched the ball this pre-season he seemed to be one tackle away from pay dirt. I smiled hard because it was like he was crushing the doubters analysis of him with every carry. The league has been placed on alert but they can't stop the storm that is Derrick Henry from coming. 3. Amari Cooper is better.
Cooper, who had over 1000 yards receiving last year on his way to a pro-bowl as a rookie, has made some insane plays this pre-season. On one play in particular, Cooper made a circus catch in the back of the end zone that made Nick Saban call up his buddies and start bragging that he coached him. Cooper looks primed to have another spectacular season and further the Crimson legacy. 4. Julio Jones did not retire.
Julio was the top receiver in the NFL last year with 1,871yds and 136 receptions. Nuff said. 5. A.J. McCarron is a elite QB.
A.J. proved he can play last year, when he almost won the Bengals a playoff game, had it not been for Hills fumbling, they would have won. This pre-season he has just picked up where he left off. It's time to show this man some respect or he will just take it. 6. Landon Collins is on a mission.
Last year Collins had 112 tackles. This pre-season, Collins has shown that he is a force the be acknowledge. On one particular play Collins stopped a touchdown on 3rd and goal by crushing a fullback ,three times his size, and jarring the ball loose for a fumble. He is one of the best safeties in the league and will prove that this year. 7. The Tide has enough players in the NFL to make there own team. 56 former players earning a spot on an active NFL roster this season. The Tide currently has the most players on an active NFL roster. Alabama leads all colleges in producing offensive linemen, with 13 currently spotting NFL rosters.
In the last eight NFL Drafts, Alabama has had 55 players selected, including 18 players in first round, 17 in the second and third rounds, five in the fourth, seven in the fifth, one in the sixth and seven in the seventh round.
Alabama released its two-deep in advance of Saturday's opener with
USC in Arlington, Texas. Commas separate first and second teams. Slashes
mean they share the job. Without further delay, here's how it reads: Offense
LT: Cam Robinson, Matt Womack
LG: Lester Cotton, Dallas Warmack, Brandon Kennedy
C: Bradley Bozeman J.C. Hassenauer, Josh Casher
RG: Ross Pierschbacher, Alphonse Taylor, Brandon Kennedy
RT: Jonah Williams, Korren Kirven
WR (X): Robert Foster/Calvin Ridley, Raheem Falkins
WR (H): Calvin Ridley, Gehrig Dieter/Cam Sims, Xavian Marks
WR (Z): ArDarius Stewart, Cam Sims, Derek Kief, T.J. Simmons
TE: O.J. Howard, Miller Forristall/Irv Smith Jr.
TE: Hale Hentges, Brandon Greene
RB: Bo Scarbrough/Damien Harris, B.J. Emmons/Joshua Jacobs
QB: Cooper Bateman OR Blake Barnett OR Jalen Hurts Defense
DE: Jonathan Allen, Da'Shawn Hand
NT: Da'Ron Payne, Joshua Frazier
DE: Dalvin Tomlinson, Dakota Ball
OLB: Tim Williams, Anfernee Jennings/Terrell Hall
OLB: Ryan Anderson, Christian Miller/Jamey Mosley
MLB: Reuben Foster, Rashaan Evans, Mack Wilson
MLB: Shaun Dion Hamilton, Keith Holcombe
Star: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Shyheim Carter
CB: Marlon Humphrey, Anthony Averett
CB: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Shyheim Carter
SS: Eddie Jackson, Hootie Jones
FS: Ronnie Harrison, Deionte Thompson Special teams
K Adam Griffith, Andy Pappanastos
P JK Scott
Hold: Cooper Bateman, JK Scott
SN: Cole Mazza
PR: Calvin Ridley, Trevon Diggs
KR: ArDarius Stewart/Trevon Diggs, Xavian Marks/Gehrig Dieter
Don't understand this one, but Nick is the man and he knows what he is doing?. Jalen Hurts had America believing he would be in the top two, by simply outplaying the competition. Nick however, did say he would probably play Hurts later in the year. Maybe its a seniority thing. However, we can not afford to play players based off time served. This is scary, as we might see a lot of unnecessary mistakes against USC that could have been avoided. Confusing? Yes.
247sports reports: TUSCALOOSA -- Alabama head coach Nick Saban
revealed which two quarterbacks he plans to send onto the field against
USC in the Crimson Tide's season-opening game on Saturday, Sept. 3, in
Arlington, Texas.
"We're sort of down to two guys here," Saban said. "Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett
are probably the two guys that we're getting ready to play in this
game, and that's the way it's gonna be for right now. We're gonna try to
continue to develop all of our guys, and we make this choice with
what's gonna give us the best chance to win this game but it's also
about future development of our players. And we're gonna play the guy
that's the most ready to give us the best chance, but we also want to
continue to develop guys that can compete at this position in the
future. That's kind of where it is right now. There's really nothing
else to talk about." Bateman will likely make his second
career start for Alabama, having started against Ole Miss in the team’s
third game of the season a year ago before ultimately losing the
quarterback competition to the eventual full-time starter, Jake Coker.
The Utah native’s career passing numbers are 37-of-52 passing for 291
yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. A former four-star recruit, Bateman
was the No. 1 player in the state of Utah, No. 4 pro-style quarterback
and No. 80 overall prospect in the 2013 recruiting cycle, according to
the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings.
"Cooper has a great knowledge of the offense," Saban said. "Really
manages things well when he's out there because of his knowledge and
experience. I think he's continued to improve his passing ability and we
have a lot of confidence in him. We feel good about the progress he's
made.
"I don't think any of us are satisfied with any part of our team
right now in terms of trying to continue to improve and develop and
certainly quarterback's not any different. And the quarterbacks
themselves probably would tell you the same thing."
Barnett has been the forgotten runner in the signal caller race, but
Saban reminded everyone the former elite prospect is still on the roster
and will likely see the field against his hometown team in USC on
Saturday.
A former five-star recruit, Barnett was the No. 2 pro-style
quarterback, No. 5 player in California and No. 21 over prospect in the
2015 recruiting cycle, according to the industry-generated 247Sports
Composite rankings. "I think that in Blake's case, he's been here for a little
longer, a year-and-a-half, so he has a little bit of knowledge of the
offense," Saban said. "And he's more confident, I think, in what he's
doing. He's gotten bigger and stronger and he's throwing the ball
effectively. One of the strengths on our team, I feel, is the receivers,
and we want to continue to try to have an offense that can create
explosive plays through those guys.
"Blake has really been an effective passer for us, so we want to
continue to try and develop him and see where his knowledge and
experience will take him relative to whether we feel like he can be a
winning player at that position or not."
There was a lot of buzz surrounding true freshman Jalen Hurts
in the team's practices prior to game week, but the first-year
quarterback will have to wait behind the other two, healthy scholarship
quarterbacks. A former four-star recruit, Hurts was
the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback, No. 25 player in the state of Texas
and No. 177 overall prospect in the 2016 recruiting cycle, according to
the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings. "Jalen's got a tremendous future," Saban said. "I think he's
got great ability. But I think that what you have to be really concerned
about is, is a guy ready to go out there and not just do things that he
can do, but can he run the offensive team? If the back's lined up on
the wrong side, is he going to put him on the right side? Is he going to
be to point out the protection right so we pick up the blitz? These
things are things that we want to be able to continue to develop in the
players so that when they go out on the field, they can have success. "Jalen Hurts has tremendous ability. We are not giving up on
that ability and hopefully we'll be able to develop it that at some
point this season he's going to be a productive player for us."http://alabama.247sports.com/Bolt/Nick-Saban-Alabamas-QB-race-is-down-to-two-players-47035313
(These
are the guys the Tide will need to shutdown to disable their offensives)
-Ju Ju Smith-Schuster WR #9
Schuster was one of the top receivers in the country last year
with 89 receiving yards 10 touchdowns averaging 16.3 yards per catch.
-Justin Davis RB #22 and Ronald
Jones RB #25
Both Davis and Jones nearly cracked the 1000 rushing yard
mark last year. Davis rushing for 902 yards and Jones rushing for 987yards.
Look for this one-two punch to come out swinging hard.
Tide’s
Counteroffensives
Minkah
Fitzpatrick and Marlon Humphrey
These where two of the best defensive players in the SEC last
year as freshman. We expect them play even better this year because of their
added maturity.
Tide’s Defensive Line
Ends Jonathan Allen, Da'Shawn Hand and tackles Da'Ron
Payne and Dalvin Tomlinson will
be damn near impossible to run against because they are all fast and agile, so
expect USC’s running game to be nullified brutally.
USCOffense
USC’s offense was very good last year behind a quarterback with
a very good arm and a high football IQ, Cody Kessler, Cody put up some
impressive stats last year, Nearly 67% completions, 29 touchdowns,
over 3,500 passing yards, and just 7 interceptions, but he is
gone and they will replace him with Max Browne, who gets the start against our
Crimson Tide this Saturday. Browne only had 12 pass attempts last year, his
offensive line has yet to live up to their 4-5 star potential, allowing 38
sacks last year. Their bright spots lie in their All-American WR Ju-Ju
Schuster. Schuster can take the top off a defense and score fast, but need a
competent passer to get him the ball. They also, have two excellent running
backs in Davis and Jones.
TIDE Defense
Alabama returns most of
its defensive front that turned in 52 Sacks last season, Max Browne should
serve as a good entre’ for Williams , Allen and the rest of the pack. They led
the nation in rushing yards allowed last year, meaning its going to be a long
day for USC’s star running backs. Led by All-America safety Eddie Jackson and the corners, Marlon
Humphrey and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the secondary is the scariest of any during
the Nick Saban era. Expect them to suffocate Ju-Ju and make life miserable for
the poor inexperienced QBBrowne.
USCDefense
USC
will have a very inexperienced front seven defensive line this year as, they have
loss 6 players from last year, meaning young players like Gustin, Masina,
Jefferson, and Green, all returning freshman, will have to fill in for them. At
linebacker, they have one Significant play maker in Cameron Smith, however, he
missed several games last year with an injury. The secondary of USC is solid
because they return many veteran players. USC gave up 7.7 yards per attempt
(t-93rd) last year, but did manage 14 interceptions from that stout secondary,
but they also, surrendered 25 touchdowns through the air in addition to over
3,500 yards.
TIDE Offense
Alabama returns one the best
Offensive lineman in the country, in Cam Robinson along with some good
experienced hogs up front. We will have a new QB, but it want matter, Bo
Scarbrough and Damien Harris should find plenty of daylight in that young
innocent defensive front of USC. Calvin Ridley and Ardarrius Stewart blazed
defenses last year, so they will bail out our young quarterbacks from trouble,
if nerves get the best of them.
Notable USC Statistics
Offense
Starters
Returning:10/11
Key
Losses:QB Cody Kessler, RB Tre Madden, FB
Jahleel Pinner, FB Soma Vainuku, TE Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick, C Max Tuerk
Key
Returnees: RB Justin Davis, RB Ronald Jones, WR Ju
Ju Smith-Schuster, WR Darreus Rogers, WR Steven Mitchell, TE Taylor McNamara,
TE Tyler Petite, LT Chad Wheeler, LG Damien Mama, C Khaliel Rogers, RG Toa
Lobendahn, RG Via Talamaivao, RT Zach Banner
FEI
Offense Rank: 14
S&P
Offense Rank: 15
S&P
Rushing Rank:34
S&P
Passing Rank: 38
PPG:
33.9
Turnovers:
12
(7 INT)
Defense
Starters
Returning:5/12
Key
Losses:DE Scott Felix, DE Greg Townsend, NT Antwuan Woods, DT
Delvon Simmons, DT Claude Pelon, LB Su'a Cravens, LB Anthony Sarao, LB Lamar
Dawson, CB Kevon Seymour
Key
Returnees:DE Porter Gustin, DE Uchenna Nwosu, DE
Osa Masina, NT Noah Jefferson, LB Cameron Smith, LB Olajuwon Tucker, CB Adoree
Jackson, CB Iman Marshall, S Chris Hawkins, S John Plattenberg
The USC Trojans are clearly over-matched in this showdown. Alabama is just way too talented across the board and will probably have to implement the mercy rule during Saturdays match-up. They are a double digit favorite to run away with the victory.
