Alabama Football: 2017 Tide Linebacker Group Best-Ever?
By Ronald Evans
Alabama football has a storied history of exceptional linebackers. The 2017 group may become the Tide’s Best-Ever.
Best-Ever is bold and using those words to describe any position group from Alabama football history can be risky. Particularly when the discussion is about linebackers.
Alabama football has a valid claim to the label Linebacker University: Lee Roy Jordan; Mike Hall; Derrick Thomas; Cornelius Bennett; Barry Krauss; Woodrow Lowe; Thomas Boyd; Dwayne Rudd; Keith McCants; Demeco Ryans; Rolando McClain; Dont’a Hightower; C.J. Mosley; Reggie Ragland; Reuben Foster.
Every player in the above list was an All-American. Most had, have or will have successful NFL careers. Four are members of the College Football Hall of Fame. One is a member of The Pro Football Hall of Fame.
So when we bandy about Best-Ever Alabama linebackers, we accept a heavy burden of proof. In this case, we are classifying the best group of linebackers from any season. We are not selecting the single best Tide linebacker ever.
To simplify we will consider a group to be four linebackers. At Alabama, those four positions are Mike and Will (inside) and Jack and Sam (outside) linebackers. Actually, the Jack position is a hybrid LB-DE position but let’s not overcomplicate the issue.
Why can 2017 be the season for Alabama football’s Best-Ever linebackers? We’ll consider the players most likely to start or play active roles in the playing rotation.
- Shaun Dion Hamilton – A fully recovered Hamilton will lead the Tide’s front seven from the Mike position.
- Rashaan Evans – Evans will likely play Will and edge rush.
- Mack Wilson – If Evans is not the starting Will, it will be Wilson.
- Ben Davis – Likely to compete at Sam or backup either Mike or Will
- Terrell Hall – Could start at Jack
- Christian Miller – Most likely starter at Jack
- Dylan Moses – Another competitor at Sam, Mike and Will
Behind this immensely talented group are another four players who would start for several schools in the SEC: Keith Holcombe; Jamey Mosley; Mekhi Brown and Anfernee Jennings.
Behind the second group are Keaton Anderson and Shawn Jennings, plus three true freshmen: Chris Allen; Markail Benton and VanDaruis Cowan Size and Speed to Eat Up Spread Offenses.
All total there are 16 linebackers seeking playing time in 2017. Four of the 16 were consensus 5-star recruits; another was 4-5 Star; eight more were consensus 4-Star recruits.
There is not a more talented group in all of college football.
The 2017 line up could be three consensus 5-Star players (from the group of Evans, Wilson, Davis and Moses) playing alongside defensive team leader Shaun Dion Hamilton.
Hamilton will start and call signals. Evans and Wilson will be in a Clash of Titans war to win the other starting inside position. Rashaan has predicted he will win the 2017 Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker Can Tide LB Win Another Butkus. Such boasting will not deter Mack Wilson.
You don’t want to get between Mack and any goal he sets:
Redshirt freshman Ben Davis and true freshman Dylan Moses Nation’s Top Linebacker are as athletically gifted as Mack and Rashaan. Either one or both, may one day be contenders for the Butkus. Despite their immense talents, it is probably best they contend for an outside linebacker role.
If Rashann, Mack, Ben and Dylan compete for one inside slot next to Hamilton – the intensity of practice explosions will cause greater injury risk than any game action.
Next: What Offense to Expect in 2017
The Best-Ever Alabama football linebacker unit? Time will tell, but we can already be assured this group of young men are determined to become the best they can be. Let us know on Twitter or Facebook who you think were the Best-Ever unit of Alabama football linebackers.