Who Will Be Alabama’s Fabulous Freshmen in 2014?

Last year at this time we tried to predict Alabama’s “Fabulous Freshmen” in 2013. Those listed were Derrick Henry, O.J. Howard, Raheem Falkins, A’Shawn Robinson, Jonathan Allen, and Dee Liner. Of those we saw as potential breakout stars, Henry, Howard, and Robinson were spot on.

Who could we see make an early push for playing time in 2014?

Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart has gone on the record stating that some young linebackers are likely going to have to get in the rotation this year, and it looks as if a freshman could end up starting at the most important position on the offensive line.

On offense, the possibilities for early playing time look as if it will be offensive tackle Cameron Robinson, guard Ross Pierschblacher, and wide receiver Cameron Sims. We’ll throw punter J.K. Scott in there as well.

Scott is probably one of the most obvious as the only scholarship punter on the team, but he has been impressive thus far in fall camp and unless an amazing walk-on is able to unseat him, Scott will be the Tide’s punter in 2014. He will have big shoes to fill in the ever-consistent Cody Mandell.

Left tackle is arguably the most important position on the offensive line, with that player having to protect the blindside of most right-handed quarterbacks. A true freshman can rarely step in and be able to handle that position in SEC competition. Neither Cyrus Kouandjio or D.J. Fluker were able to do it, and Andre Smith is the last true freshman to start at left tackle at Alabama back in 2006.

Cameron Robinson, however, is looked at as one of the top offensive tackle prospects in years and since he arrived in the spring he has looked to be the most consistent option at left tackle for Alabama. Robinson was expected to be pushed hard by JUCO transfer Dominick Jackson, but Jackson has been playing at guard as much as he has tackle thus far in fall camp.

There is no question Robinson has the talent to be a top tackle in the country, but his biggest obstacle is going to be handling speed rushers off the edge, and getting used to the difference in speed from high school and college.

His biggest advantage is that he has been at Alabama since the spring, so he has a head start. As a run blocker, Robinson will be dominant from the start. He is brutally strong and physical, which Nick Saban loves and will look to utilize in a punishing rush attack.

With a few injuries across the line early in camp, freshman Ross Pierschblacher has made the most of it with Nick Saban recently saying that Ross could very well work himself into the two-deep rotation by the end of camp.

Unless there are some serious injuries, it is unlikely he will be able to unseat the winner of the Leon Brown/Dominick Jackson battle at one guard spot, or Arie Kouandjio at the other, but he will get to see some playing time as a freshman in some games.

Louisiana native Cameron Sims was considered one of the top receiver prospects in the country in the 2014 recruiting class. Ever since he stepped on an Alabama practice field he has drawn comparisons to Julio Jones, and at 6-foot4 and over 200 pounds, you can see why.

Like Jones, Sims has made it a habit to make circus catches in practice. Continuing that comparison, he is a very physical receiver, utilizing his size and strength.

Sims has a lot of talent to try to beat out to get on the field, with returners Amari Cooper, Christion Jones, and DeAndrew White locking down their spots on the depth chart. There is also a slew of young talent on the roster for Sims to battle with, like Chris Black, Raheem Falkins, Robert Foster, and ArDarius Stewart. But Sims is as talented as any of them and his early start in the spring could be very helpful for him to potentially get on the field in 2014.

On defense, youngsters Tony Brown, Marlon Humphrey, Rashaan Evans, Josh Frazier, Shaun Dion-Hamilton, and Hootie Jones will all get their chance to work their way onto the field.

Brown and Humphrey may be the best pair of cornerbacks Nick Saban has ever brought to Alabama in one recruiting class. Both are speedsters and legit track stars, and Tony Brown is extremely physical.

Brown got an early start, coming to Alabama in the spring, and made some pretty impressive plays at A-Day despite a shoulder injury. Humphrey may have the most potential of any cornerback in the country, but will need to work on his physicality, especially against the big receivers of the SEC.

Humphrey and Brown may not crack the starting lineup as freshmen but it is very likely that they both will see playing time in 2014, not just on special teams, but cracking the rotation in the defensive backfield. The sky is the limit for these two corners.

"“We’re going to have to play some freshmen there, whereas before, we always had four guys that could play that position, now we’re sitting around and only one or two are really proven to play. We need four guys to be able to play inside linebacker and play well for us.”"

That was Kirby Smart recently speaking on the need for freshmen to crack the rotation at inside linebacker this year. The top three at inside backer are more than likely going to be Trey DePriest, Reggie Ragland, and Reuben Foster, but that leaves that fourth man up in the air.

Shaun Dion-Hamilton has garnered a lot of praise from teammates thus far, and seems to be shadowing the other older players in practice at inside linebacker. Hamilton is a bit undersized at right at six feet, but he is still extremely physical. Strength and physicality are a must at inside linebacker on Alabama’s defense.

Rashaan Evans signifies a change in how Alabama recruits outside linebackers. Evans is a speedster at just 225 pounds, unlike the 260-plus pound outside linebackers Alabama has typically gone after. This is likely due to teams like Texas A&M and Auburn running more read option, as well as Saban looking for more of a speed rush off the edge.

Evans is going to get a chance to earn playing time at Jack linebacker as a pass rushing specialist early in his career, while he will need to work on other facets of his game like shedding blockers in run support to be an every down player in the future.

Suspensions and injuries across the deep defensive line are going to give freshman Josh Frazier a chance to potentially crack the rotation in 2014. Frazier, a nose tackle, is the biggest player on the Alabama defense at over 230 pounds, and the suspension of Brandon Ivory earlier in fall camp has given him and Darren Lake more reps at nose tackle.

Laurence “Hootie” Jones replaces Ha’Sean “HaHa” Clinton-Dix as a safety on the team with a funny nickname. Hootie got to Alabama in the spring, and though he may not get to see the field much at safety in 2014 because of veterans Landon Collins, Geno Smith, Nick Perry, and Jarrick Williams, he will likely get on the field as a special teams player right off the bat.

Jones will get a chance to earn some playing time in “garbage time” as well. This is how HaHa Clinton-Dix and Mark Barron in the past earned their playing time early in their career before becoming All Americans.

As fall camp continues and we inch closer to the opener we should get a much better idea of which freshman will be Alabama’s “fabulous freshmen” on 2014.