Crimson Tide Welcomes 8 Freshmen to 2014 Team

Jan 2, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Team Nitro safety Laurence Jones (7) defends during the second half at Tropicana Field. Team Highlight defeated the Team Nitro 31-21.  Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Fresh off the heels of Alabama’s disappointing end to the 2013 season in New Orleans, head coach Nick Saban will begin the rebuilding process of 2014 this week.

First, several Crimson Tide underclassmen will decide their fate in regards to the NFL Draft and likely announce by Wednesday whether they will return for 2014 or not. Players that are mulling over the thought of jumping to the NFL include safety HaHa Clinton-Dix, linebacker Adrian Hubbard, defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, and offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio. Linebacker Trey DePriest has already announced his intentions to return to Alabama next year.

Also this week, several incoming freshmen will enroll at Alabama to begin the spring semester so that they will be available to practice in the spring and get a jump start on the other incoming freshmen of the 2014 class.

Junior college transfers Jarran Reed and DJ Pettway have already signed their letters of intent with Alabama, but also expected to enroll at Alabama are top recruits like Cameron Robinson, Cameron Sims, Hootie Jones, Tony Brown, David Cornwell, and Shaun-Dion Hamilton.

Linebacker Shaun-Dion Hamilton (5’11”, 234 lbs.) confirmed with AL.com that he would indeed be enrolling at Alabama this week. The Montgomery, AL native is considered undersized for his inside linebacker position, much like Alabama All American C.J. Mosley, but he’s still rated as the sixth ranked linebacker in the 2014 class by ESPN.

Norman, OK quarterback David Cornwell (6’5”, 241 lbs.) is rated as the No. 2 pocket passer by ESPN, despite coming off of a senior season-ending knee surgery. Cornwell took part in this past week’s Under Armour All-America practices, though he did not play, and looked to be moving very well and expects to be 100 percent by spring. Cornwell will be a part of a wide open quarterback competition at Alabama for the new starter.

Alabama’s newest commitment is cornerback Tony Brown (6’0”, 196 lbs.), considered the No. 4 cornerback in the class by ESPN. Brown committed to the Tide over LSU at the Under Armour All-America game. Brown is coming into at Alabama at a position of need at the cornerback spot and his elite speed (Brown is an All-American track star) gives him a big advantage in trying to earn early playing time. He will also get a leg up on other freshmen with him graduating high school early and beginning with the team in the spring.

Massive offensive tackle Cameron Robinson (6’5”, 330 lbs.) is the top-ranked offensive tackle and third overall prospect in the country according to ESPN, and with Cyrus Kouandjio likely jumping to the NFL, Robinson could very well jump right into the starting rotation considering he will get early work in the spring.

Safety Laurence “Hootie” Jones (6’2”, 208 lbs.) de-committed from Alabama in December but re-committed after the Under Armour game. Jones is the second-ranked safety in the country according to ESPN. With safety HaHa Clinton-Dix possibly jumping to the NFL, Jones could potentially earn early playing time, though veterans Vinnie Sunseri, Jarrick Williams and Landon Collins return in 2014. Regardless, Jones adds much needed depth to the position.

Wide receiver Cameron Sims (6’4”, 190 lbs.) is one of only two currently committed receivers in Alabama’s 2014 recruiting class. Sims is ranked as the 8th receiver in the nation according to ESPN, and the big receiver is probably already making strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran’s mouth water over the potential of making him bigger and even more physical, and getting a jump start on that in the spring. He’s already been compared to former Alabama great Julio Jones due to his physicality, size and surprising speed. For comparison’s sake, Jones was 6’4”, 215 lbs. coming out of high school. Sims adds to the incredibly deep Alabama receiving corps.

Linebacker DJ Pettway (6’3”, 250 lbs.) originally committed to Alabama in 2011 and was a part of both the 2011 and 2012 national champion teams before being kicked off of the team due to his role in an assault and robbery on campus after the 2012 BCS National Championship. According to his JUCO coaches, Pettway has matured and his ready to prove himself to both Nick Saban and the Alabama faithful. He was a dominant pass rusher for the JUCO National Champion East Mississippi Community College and according to ESPN is the second-ranked defensive end in all of JUCO football.

Nose tackle Jarran Reed (6’4”, 315 lbs.) comes to Alabama as a massive force in the middle of the defensive line that Alabama desperately needs to make their run defense work. Reed was Pettway’s teammate at East Mississippi Community College and is considered the 7th best defensive tackle in JUCO football.

These eight incoming players begin their Alabama careers this week as the “process” for Nick Saban and Alabama starts all over again.